Is the United States becoming a temp-employment economy?

There's no doubting that every job gained since the "end" of the Great Recession has been a positive development for the United States. Yet, since the 2007-2009 economic downturn, a disproportionate amount of job gains have been in the part-time or temporary worker sectors, which provide some means of income but little in the way of personal benefits or long-term growth opportunities.

A recent report from the Washington Examiner has thrown some additional light on this problem. While government employment statistics have often suggested that simply too many Americans are being locked into part-time arrangements with little hope of escaping, it seems that the rise of temp agencies since the Great Recession represents yet another negative aspect in the so-called New Normal.

According to the Examiner, the company that ranks below Wal-Mart as the top U.S. employer is Kelly Services. This business services many of the nation's top employers, filling in operational gaps that would otherwise by filled by full-time workers. Temp staffing is a tempting proposition for firms who don't want to commit to paying for health insurance or other benefits, while still being able to perform certain functions.

"Temp jobs made up about 10 percent of the jobs lost during the Great Recession, and because of high turnover (the average length of temp employment is 3 months before a worker moves on to a permanent job), one in 10 non-farm workers were employed by a US staffing firm at some point during the past year, according to [American Staffing Association]," the Examiner's Ashe Schow wrote. "In fact, nearly one-fifth of all jobs gained since the recession ended have been temporary."

These developments only point to the continuing erosion of the American economy. As such, investors need to gird themselves against potential volatility, with tools like automated trading software. Learn more by exploring GreatWealthStrategies.com today.