By Denis Pennel for stafingamericalatina

Did you know that 80% of agency workers would recommend agency work to friends and family? Invaluable insights, such as this, into the profiles of agency workers were recently published in the 2014 Ciett Economic Report, painting a global picture of agency workers today. Not only would 80% of agency workers recommend it but 83% report they are satisfied or very satisfied with agency work. This proves agency work to be a highly rated industry in terms of job satisfaction and the way to work.

So why do people choose agency work? There is a diversity of reasons as agency work can provide a multitude of specific needs that an individual worker might have. It can provide flexibility both in hours, location and duration of employment, or it can provide them with access to the labour market that they might otherwise not have. Many use it as a stepping stone to permanent employment and others use it to acquire a variety of experiences on a flexible basis. The possibilities are endless and this is reflected in the job satisfaction reported by agency workers.

And who are the people who choose agency work? There is no ‘average’ agency worker as they have very diverse backgrounds. Often, the type of people doing agency work depends on the country, and the sector or the company looking for agency workers. Agency work also covers a variety of jobs. In Brazil 50% of agency jobs are low skilled but in Mexico 43% of agency jobs are high skilled. The opportunities therefore given to agency workers are hugely varied which attracts a wide audience.

However, what is clear is that agency workers are relatively young. In Brazil for example over half of agency workers are under 25. This is great news as youth unemployment remains stubbornly high globally. Young people are getting job experience and gaining skills through temporary positions which helps them develop their career in a personalised way that an initial permanent contract cannot provide.

It is not just youth benefitting from agency work. Only 32% of agency workers were employed before temping and 68% found permanent positions following their stint as an agency worker. Clearly, private employment services (PrES) are supporting workers in several labour market transitions; from education to work, from unemployment to work, and from short term employment into longer lasting careers. This is especially important in the face of high unemployment and talent shortages, where matching talent to jobs becomes vital for individuals, businesses and economies to survive and thrive.

This background information into agency workers demonstrates how varied, but motivated, the industry really is. Where we may not be able to profile a ‘typical’ agency worker we can see from this research that generally they would be satisfied in their work, exposed to many different opportunities and willing to promote these opportunities to family and friends. This is something that we as an industry can be very proud of. Agency workers are satisfied workers.

For more information you can download the full 2014 Ciett Economic Report here: http://www.ciett.org/fileadmin/templates/ciett/docs/Stats/Economic_report_2014/CIETT_ER2013.pdf

About Denis Pennel

Managing Director of Ciett and Eurociett, Denis Pennel is a labour markets expert with deep knowledge and years of experience relating to employment at global and EU levels. He just published “Travailler pour soi”, a book about the new realities of work.

Follow Denis on Twitter @PennelDenis

About Ciett, www.ciett.org

As the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies, Ciett is the authoritative voice representing the interests of agency work businesses. Founded in 1967, Ciett consists of 48 national federations of private employment agencies and seven of the largest staffing companies worldwide. Its main objectives are twofold: to help its members conduct their businesses in a legal and regulatory environment that is positive and supportive; to gain recognition for the positive contribution the industry brings to better functioning labour markets.

Follow Ciett on Twitter @ciett_waytowork