What Is a Temporary Agency?

Long before terms like “gig heure de nuit intérim ” and “side hustle” entered our lexicon, businesses used temp agencies to fill short-term staffing needs. Though some of these firms have been supplanted by on-demand staffing platforms, temp agencies remain an option for certain companies and job seekers.

What is a temporary agency?

A temporary agency is a company that contracts with businesses to find workers for temporary, seasonal, or part-time positions. Staffing agencies often have talent pools of candidates who meet specific qualifications, such as experience or specialized skill sets. They can also advertise for roles on online employment sites and professional networking platforms.

When a client company has a temporary need, the temp agency will identify suitable candidates from its pool of applicants and assign them to the role. The temp agency manages the payroll for its employees and handles any tax withholding and benefits administration. Clients can also contract with temp agencies to fill permanent or direct-hire roles. These arrangements allow a company to evaluate an employee’s performance in a role before hiring them full-time.

Using a temp agency can be more expensive than finding workers directly, but the agency may save businesses time and money by identifying candidates who are well-suited to their business, conducting basic interviews, and running background checks and drug tests. It’s important for businesses to be aware of additional fees, such as markups, when selecting a temp agency. Those fees will be added to the hourly wage paid to the worker.