Benefits of Working for a Construction Staffing Agency

Labor Staffing Company Myths Debunked

Construction staffing agencies have played a key role in helping industrial project managers staff construction projects and helping construction workers find respectable jobs. The American Staffing Association estimates that more than 90% of U.S. companies use staffing firms to fill open positions and complete projects. Of those who are looking for a first job fresh out of high school or college or re-entering the job market, 40% have relied on the resources of a staffing agency for employment. Companies like Construction Labor Contractors have been setting a healthy trend of assisting thousands of workers with securing income and gaining experience in their respective fields.

Unfortunately, these successes have come at the cost of a presumed image for the staffing industry as a whole. Many potential workers have held on to common myths rather than securing their futures with an reputable construction staffing agencies. Often, these myths are circulated and recycled based on long held notions about temporary work. Here is a candid look at some of those myths.

1. A temporary construction job is not a “real” job.
   There is almost a common sense rebuttal for this myth.Many of the companies recognized as the top companies in the U.S. frequently call on temporary labor staffing agents to get work done. Some of those companies include: Amazon, Starbucks, Visa, Continental Airlines and Microsoft. In fact these companies budget for temporary positions during busy seasons to ease the burden to regular workflow.The silver lining for those who secure temporary positions through staffing agencies lies in the possibility of becoming a permanent employee eventually. Not all companies can guarantee this move, but when full-time, permanent positions become available the temporary worker is in a golden position to interview.
2. It is impossible to earn a decent wage as a temporary construction employee.
   This myth comes directly from the tendency for some people to look down on temporary positions as bottom-of-the-barrel jobs. In fact, many of them are not. The fact that a job is temporary only defines its duration, and not its level of service or pay. This is true for the construction industry and many others.Construction work, or work for any company, should not be narrowly defined at entry-level grunt work. Construction managers, factory foremen, etc. have all been hired through staffing agencies before. Although the minimum wage is the conventional guideline for any industry, there are many other factors that determine pay scale. As always, it depends on education/training, expertise, experience, and capabilities as evidenced by screening tests and the success of interviews.
3. Temporary jobs never offer job benefits.
   There are many staffing agencies that can afford to give their temporary employees benefits like health insurance, and do so. Through group health plan structures, these companies can give workers dental, vision, disability and life insurance in addition to basic health coverage. This is a reprieve to those who have been displaced because of downsizing or other sudden company strategies. Benefits do not stop at insurance either. Personal time off, vacation and recruiting bonuses for good employee referrals also await many staffing agency workers.

Although staffing agencies focus on hiring temporary staff for their clients, some of the workers establish long-term relationships with their agencies. The longevity builds a family-like rapport among staffing agents and over time, removes some of the stigmas that become attached to temporary work. In fact, staffing agencies work hard to build such solid reputations with their client companies that they are in a good position sometimes to negotiate for their workers to receive better jobs and more exposure to specialized work. This builds skills for the workers. At Tradesmen International, we understand the importance of building these relationships.