Since the economic recovery first began, employers nationwide have been hesitant to hire full-time workers, employing instead more part-time, contract and temporary workers. In particular, the number of temp positions in the last several years has climbed at a higher rate than most other categories of jobs.
In fact, the number of temps working nationwide has grown by more than 50 percent over the past four years to nearly 2.7 million. Utah, however, has bucked yet another trend. According to a new report, from May 2012 to May 2013, the number of Utahns filling temp jobs grew by just 2.2 percent, far lower than the nation’s 7.5 percent temp job growth.
Why the difference? Many experts believe it’s due to the type of job growth Utah has experienced over the past several years. Scores of high-tech companies have expanded along the Wasatch Front in the last several years. Many have made substantial capital investments by constructing new facilities that house hundreds or even thousands of highly skilled workers. To lure these workers, many of which are in short supply, employers must offer full-time and good-paying jobs with benefits.
For more information about the nation’s temp phenomenon – and the trend toward full-time employment in Utah – check out this story. You can read more about the high-tech employers expanding in the Beehive State in this report.