Temporary Employment

My present place of employment is actually paying an agency that then pays me for my time. The agency gets a cut, but I suspect that it's still cheaper for the company where I'm working than if they hired me direct. In this way they're more flexible with manpower, don't pay any benefits, and if they get rid of someone there's no dealing with unemployment payments to the state.

It seems (though I don't know for sure) that the lower skilled spots are entirely agency supplied temporaries. They stay about 3 months, and are then let go. If someone is still needed another Temp is brought in. Other skill levels are probably open ended.

In my case the arrangement is open ended. There isn't a duration to hire or let me go, at least not to my knowledge. They bought and installed a high end computer for me to use, and so I suspect that so long as I'm doing a good job my temporary status will last quite a while. I also suspect there will be no offer to hire me, regardless of the job I do, until I get offered a position elsewhere.

I don't know how many are working there this way, but I suspect it's around 30% of the workforce. I'd wager that any company that can do things this way are doing it now and into the foreseeable future.