PPB March 2019

New Ways To Work Get To Know These Alternate Types of Employees In Today’s Workforce by Paige McAllister T he composition of the American workforce has been changing and will continue to evolve. While regular employment used to be almost the only classification of workers, now more and more in today’s gig economy people are hired as temporary employees or independent contractors. According to the latest job report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 157 million employees are participating in the workforce. This includes 27 million part-time employees (those who work fewer than 35 hours per week), 4.7 million of which are “involuntary part- time” workers—those who would like to work full time but cannot find open positions. Unemployment rose slightly in this report to 3.9 percent with about six million people actively looking for employment while there were 6.9 million job openings nationwide. Shifting job trends, employment costs and employee availability have required companies to look for alternative ways to fill open positions and meet work demands. Two of the more popular options are hiring temporary employees and using independent contractors. Both have pros and cons to consider. Temporary Employees (“Temps”): Temporary employees fill a need in the workforce that regular employees cannot. Companies use temporary 86 | MARCH 2019 | THINK