Global – The case for contingent work made by Staffing Industry Analysts

Staffing Industry Analysts has published a new research report looking at the positive aspects of contingent work from the perspective of employers, workers and society in general.

Available exclusively to SIA’s research subscribers, the report makes the case in favour of five categories of contingent workers: temporary agency workers, other (directly sourced) temporary workers, human cloud workers, independent contractors and statement of work consultants.

John Nurthen, executive director global research at Staffing Industry Analysts and author of the report said: “as contingent work has become more prominent, concerns and criticism have also become more vocal. While we recognise that not all contingent work is good in the same way that not all employed work is good, there are many positives to contingent ways of working that should not be overlooked.”

The report makes the point that it would be wrong to assume that employers are always in the driver’s seat when determining who they employ and who they engage on a contingent basis. Highly skilled workers may only be prepared to offer their services on a contingent basis, regardless of whether an employer wishes to employ them or not. Flexibility is a two-way street, and many contingent workers proactively choose this way of working to suit their lifestyle or in order to meet family obligations.

The report also looks at the problem of worker categorisation given that the world of work is fluid and many workers will supplement their employed income with different forms of contingent work – and contingent workers themselves may cross categories multiple times – independent contractors taking on occasional temporary agency work assignments or temporary agency workers dabbling in human cloud roles.

The report concludes that it is important legislation should be modernised to better address multiplicity in the labour market and to create a level-playing field between labour market intermediaries.

Source: http://www2.staffingindustry.com/row/Editorial/Daily-News/Global-The-case-for-contingent-work-made-by-Staffing-Industry-Analysts-46134