TEMPTING IN THE JOB MARKET

When Kevin Burns moved to the Cape Girardeau area, he knew where to go to find work -- a temporary services firm.

"I'm versatile in the job market," said Burns. "I'm experienced in electrical work and in business management positions."

Burns, who moved to the area from Texas, had heard of Manpower Temporary Services. He looked them up and has been plenty busy since.

"I'm hoping to eventually work into something permanent," said Burns, who moved into the area to be closer to his family. "Meanwhile, I'll continue to work as a temp."

Burns has plenty of company.

More than 1.6 million temporary employees report to work on any given day in the U.S.

Ninety-five percent of the temporaries are hopeful that their status will change from "temp" to permanent, but the other five percent are happy and satisfied with the more flexible schedules that temporary work affords them.

One woman has established a goal while working as a temp.

"I want to work in all 50 states," said the woman, who wants to remain anonymous. "I go into a state, select one of its largest cities, and head for the nearest temporary job services company. I explain what I'm doing and that I only want work for two or three weeks.

"Temporary work is not for everyone," said Barbara Larkins of Manpower, Inc., 106 Farrar Drive, Cape Girardeau. "But it can provide opportunities for those who want to gain experience, learn new skills and earn money while retaining some flexibility."

The number of temporary workers has increased over the past decade, from 622,000 in 1984 to 1.6 million during the first quarter of 1994.

"We provide a service," said Mike Cochran, president and owner of Personnel Support, 618 Bellevue in Cape Girardeau. "We provide workers to employers on a contingent (as needed) basis."

Temporary work is used mainly for work overloads, say Cochran, Larkins and Barbara Brown Norder.

Norder, owner/manager of Sincerely Yours Secretarial in Cape Girardeau, specializes in office workers.

"We have experienced triple growth in recent months," said Norder. "We're receiving more and more requests, even through the winter when requests are usually down."

Norder offers employers two options.

"The company can place a temporary on their payrolls, or leave them on our payroll," said Norder. "We provide several benefits ... and will take care of the payroll work."

A decade ago, most temporary employees were clerical workers -- Kelly Girls, for example -- but today they include everything from lawyers and nurses to engineers, accountants and executives.

"Everyone utilizes temporary help, from a one-person corporation to Fortune 500 companies," said Larkins, who works with the largest temporary company in the world and provides workers in many skill categories.

"We have just added a technical division," added Larkins about Manpower, which sends out more than one million workers each day. "We're the second largest employer -- second only to government -- in the world." Manpower has more than 2,000 offices in the U.S. and 39 countries.

The company's original business was geared to providing temps for light industrial or factory jobs, but today, office workers make up about 65 percent of the firm's business.

With the new technical department, which includes everything from rocket scientists to engineers to computer programmers, Manpower now offers office, industrial, marketing and technical workers.

"It's not unusual for us to receive a request for up to 50, even 100 jobs in this area," said Larkins. "The local agency has more than doubled in temporary workers over the past year."

Larkins said Manpower provides a number of shift workers.

"We can arrange for workers on any of the shifts," she said.

Temporaries for Manpower are paid by Manpower, which also offers a benefit package.

"We offer a sick and accident health package, 401K retirement program and life insurance," said Larkins. "We also offer a vacation and holiday plan."

"There are a number of reasons why companies choose to hire temps," said Cochran. "The economy governs how many temps are working. If the economy picks up, temporary workers pick up."

Many companies take a "wait and see" attitude regarding budgets, taxes and the nation's economy. When there is uncertainly out there, they will take on temporary workers."

The temporary work scene provides many advantages for both workers and employers.

"It gives employers an opportunity to test workers, and it gives workers a chance to see if they like certain jobs," said Cochran, whose firm offers a "pre-hire" program.

"This program is designed to permit companies to hire temps on a part-time basis as a trial to see if they are the persons they want to hire," said Cochran. "We find the people, screen them. After a certain period of time, the company may hire them."

Larkins, Norder and Cochran say they are always taking applications for temporary work.

"All we ask is that employees give us a good effort, a good day's work when they are sent out."

Jack Cecil, director of the Missouri Job Service office at Cape Girardeau, said temps are a good way for companies to avoid the up-front hassles associated with hiring.

"We work well with the temporary services," he said. "There are times we need 30 to 40 people, and we'll call them."

This is a good deal for employers, noted Cecil. The employers don't have to worry about the hassles of getting 30 or 40 people there, and the temporary service is responsible for the payroll for those employees.

With more than 1.6 million workers, temporary services have been the target of some criticism, with claims that workers are forced to take jobs with fewer benefits and that firms are using "contract" labor to cut insurance and health costs.

Others say that America's growing reliance on temporary staffers is shattering a tradition in which loyalty was valued and workers were vital parts of the companies they served.

Samuel R. Sacco of the National Association of Temporary Services (NATS) answers a complaint.

"Let's look at some facts," said Sacco, executive vice president of NATS. "Temporary employees account for only about one percent of the work force, not 20 to 30 percent as some people claim."