EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES
Temps may find a bigger niche
Peter Durham sees most of 2009 mired in what “a perfect storm” in the employment and temporary-work markets.
But Durham, CEO of the Williamsville-based Durham Staffing, sees a bright ray of opportunity through the seemingly endless downpour of bad economic news. And he’s not alone, at least in the temporary staffing industry.
With the been-here-already resilience of Western New York’s employers and workers, along with acquisition opportunities and more contracted work, temp agencies and employment firms might just find a larger niche to fill in the coming year.
“We’re optimistic that we’re going to continue doing just what we’ve done,” Durham said. “Buffalo has already gone through so much adjustment, it has the capacity to adjust to this. We definitely feel the downturn . . . but we have a viable, developed work force, and we can absorb quality people quickly.”
That’s not to say it’s going to be an easy year to find a job here, or anywhere in the United States. As a general rule, during downturns and recessions larger firms tend to scale back or delay capital projects that provide many temporary and newer-market jobs.
This year may not be any different. Surveys by the American Staffing Association showed an estimated 2.69 million workers employed as temporary help in the third quarter of 2008, an 11.8 percent decrease from the same period in 2007, and part of a year-long trend in decreased temp employment.
At the beginning of 2008, the job losses that brought workers to the Amherst branch of Adecco Engineering and Technical early in 2008 seemed consolidated in the areas that anyone living in the area long enough expects — manufacturing, fabrication, and machining work.
As investment banks fell and bailouts dominated headlines, a wider range of displaced workers were left to look for work.
“Government and health care haven’t really seen job losses, but it’s hard to think it won’t eventually happen,” said Kelly Weber, branch manager of Adecco Engineering and Technical.
Recessions tend to cause firms to narrow their focus, Weber said. Similarly, job-seekers can look at the postings available and take a dim outlook on their prospects. But while quality- control engineers and high-end design work may be the most commonly sought jobs Weber sees in Amherst, many workers’ skills and employers’ varied needs end up unmatched because both sides narrow their criteria too far.
“We advise people to keep working at [their skill sets], but to also be flexible and keep an open mind,” she said. “Searching for a job these days can be a full-time job in itself, and it’s better not to narrow ideas of what you’re capable of.”
While the job search is even more daunting than normal, Christine Chaluga, chief operating officer at Durham Staffing, noted that even firms forced to lay off full-time employees in a downturn may have need of contractual or temporary help, especially as economic prospects start to look up.
“Firms that can’t commit to a permanent hire will still need to get production out,” Chaluga said. “When special projects or unexpected orders arrive, outsourcing that work . . . [along with] benefits management may make sense for a lot of employers.”
While 2009 might not see a good deal of client or placement growth overall, Western New York could end up avoiding the steep downturn in all manner of work other regions are facing — just as the region avoided the real estate and tech industry bubbles. And mergers, buyouts, and partnership opportunities could be a beneficial side-effect of market turmoil for employment firms themselves.
“I think nationally, [temporary] firms are looking at a down year in growth, but we may see some aggressive activity on the part of companies that can weather the climate,” Durham said. “Employment firms, just like almost every other sector in Buffalo . . . have already gone through so much adjustment, we have the capacity to adjust to this.”
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