When there is a need for qualified personnel to fill a position immediately, a staffing agency is a great resource for just about any type of company. Essentially, it is a service that matches the labor needs of its corporate clients with individuals who have the skill sets necessary to meet those needs. They can save a company a great deal of money.
The typical staffing agency operates with a focus on particular sectors of the job market. As an example, one may choose to focus on providing day laborers for manufacturing or food service positions. In other cases, the agency may choose to focus on providing quality clerical personnel for various types of office work. In still other cases, it may direct its energies toward providing corporate clients with executive and managerial personnel. Some larger personnel agencies choose to create divisions, with each division focusing on a different sector of the job market.
A staffing agency also usually focuses on providing either personnel for a short time or permanent placement. The short term personnel support is ideal for companies that may need some extra help for a three to six month period, while permanent placement staffing is a great way to find the right people without the company having to use a lot of resources in the hunt. Either way, the agency provides access to a pool of talent that the corporate client probably would not have been able to access.
This service can be advantageous for several reasons. First, the temporary help does not require going through the hiring process. The company does not have to set up tax forms, withhold taxes, or extend any benefits to the temporary personnel, since all of that is done through the agency. This simplifies the process a great deal. While it is true that the company may pay a slightly higher rate per hour for the agency temp, the overall cost remains much lower than bringing on an employee for a short time.
Second, people who enjoy the challenge of working in different companies find that working for a staffing agency is ideal. There is always somewhere new to go and new challenges of ways to apply skill sets. The agency provides a steady source of income, and the change in assignments from time to time helps to keep the task of working new and refreshing.
Third, a staffing agency will do all the legwork in finding the right employee. This can really save the company a lot of money when the need is for a new executive or manager. Since most agencies maintain a comprehensive list of prospects, the chances of finding the right person in the permanent position may take days rather than weeks or months.
