Dive Brief:

• Temporary employment will grow to more than 3.2 million opportunities by 2025, an increase of nearly 254,000, predicts Emsi, a labor market analytics firm, and TrueBlue, a workforce solutions company. That would represent 8.5% growth, while all U.S. jobs are expected to grow 6%.
• Supply chain-related jobs continue to dominate the list of fastest-growing temporary occupations, the organizations said. These include positions in production, transportation and customer service.
• "The labor market continues to be tight, and businesses are using many avenues to find the talent to keep their competitive edge," Rob Sentz, Emsi’s chief innovation officer, said in a press release. "This analysis indicates that gigs and other forms of temporary employment are a viable way for people to enter the labor market and for companies to quickly locate talent."

Dive Insight:

As employers keep an eye on recession predictions, many are looking to remain agile; use of temporary employees and contractors can allow businesses to quickly respond to market conditions.

But that doesn't mean HR is off the hook when it comes to culture, engagement and more. To maintain good working relationships with temporary workers, employers must invest in their engagement, say experts, in much the same way as they do with other staff. An employer's temps and contractors also can serve as a labor pool from which to hire employees, experts say, so a good relationship is crucial.

Employers need to improve on this front, according to recent research. A survey by Speakap found that while employers are hiring more temporary seasonal workers, they're failing to improve their work experience, boost productivity and lower turnover. With the workforce becoming more dependent on temporary and independent workers, employers can't afford to neglect this segment's engagement.