Get out of the cliché and into temporary work: why employment via personnel service providers is more attractive than you think

Whether you are looking for a job, returning to work or making a career change: employment in temporary employment can be the opportunity to find what you are looking for on the job market. We dispel some of the biggest clichés surrounding the topic of temporary work: It's time for temporary work!

Cliché 1: Poor pay

Starvation wages in temporary work: One of the most persistent clichés is that temporary workers are poorly paid. This is indeed a cliché, as the minimum wage naturally also applies to temporary work. However, this does not mean that the pay of all temporary workers is therefore at the lower wage limit. The salaries of temporary workers are bound by collective agreements and are based on the employee's professional experience and qualifications. In addition, there are so-called industry supplements, which gradually bring the pay of temporary workers closer to that of comparable permanent staff at the company where they are employed. This is the case in the chemical or metal and electrical industries, for example.

Salary adjustments of this kind reduce the wage differences between temporary and permanent employees. In this way, temporary employment agencies ensure fair pay and their employees receive attractive bonuses on top of their basic wage in addition to the collectively agreed basic wage. The equal pay principle in the German Temporary Employment Act (AÜG) also states that temporary workers must receive the same pay as permanent employees after nine months of uninterrupted employment.

Cliché 2: Insecure job and lack of stakes

Another cliché: employment with a recruitment agency is associated with a great deal of uncertainty and risk for the employee. Not true! This is because temporary workers are also permanently employed - by the hiring company. Accordingly, they also have a statutory vacation entitlement, are protected by the Dismissal Protection Act as well as social benefits and receive continued pay in the event of illness. If there is no seamless transition between two assignments, the temporary worker is still paid in the interim. In this case, the temporary employment agency bears the risk. If an assignment with a company ends, the temporary worker still remains under contract with the personnel service provider and is transferred to another suitable assignment. The German Temporary Employment Act also stipulates exactly how long a temporary employment agency may employ an employee with a customer before the employee must be taken on permanently by the customer.

Cliché 3: Lack of perspective

Employment as a temporary employee has no prospects - supposedly. In fact, the exact opposite is often the case. Thanks to extensive networks in a wide range of industries and the corresponding contacts to companies and their contacts, personnel service providers have job offers that are not only attractive, but also not yet officially advertised. Large companies in particular work with personnel service providers to fill vacancies quickly. Joining via temporary employment offers temporary workers the opportunity to get to know these companies, to convince them of their merits and, if necessary, to gain a foothold there later in direct employment. This is not just an empty phrase, as one in three temporary workers is taken on by the company they work for^.1

Temporary work also offers a special opportunity for people who would otherwise find it difficult on the job market, for example people who have not completed vocational training or do not have the relevant language skills. Temporary work can also open up career prospects for these people. Finding a new job easily or (re)entering the job market - this is possible through temporary employment.

Cliché 4: Lack of appreciation

Employment as a temporary worker is associated with the negative preconception of a lack of appreciation for the individual and their own labor. However, many companies and businesses value temporary workers because of their enormous flexibility. They can expand capacities and compensate for staff shortages in a very short space of time. By law, temporary workers and permanent employees of a company are treated equally under the Equal Treatment Act (AÜG). Whether catering or break rooms - during their assignment at the user company, temporary workers enjoy the same rights and benefits as their colleagues from the permanent workforce. If there is a works council at the user company, temporary workers who have been employed by the company for longer than three months may also vote on it.

Conclusion

Temporary work has long since ceased to be what many people unfortunately still imagine it to be. Whether as a production employee or as a financial accountant: employment in temporary employment offers opportunities and prospects that are worth considering when you are next looking for a job: maybe it's time for temporary work?

Sources:

1: Association of German Temporary Employment Agencies - Pro7 reports on temporary work.

2: Survey: Duration of employment relationships in temporary employment in Germany, 2017.

3: Federal Employers' Association of Personnel Service Providers