Career Center: Top career trends
1. More jobs will be temporary. Companies will need fewer full-time permanent employees and more short-termers with the precise skills to complete a specific project. Employers also prefer temp employees for a reason they less readily admit: Temps are less likely to sue for wrongful termination because the job, by definition, is temporary. And of course, costs for temps are lower—there's often no health insurance, and temp workers aren't around long enough to qualify for retirement plans and other perks.
How to get ahead: Many job seekers take temp jobs hoping they will become permanent. That happens less often than most realize. Still, companies do make longer-term commitments to temps who fit in well. To make yourself stand out, schmooze the boss, build relationships with higher-ups, and develop or tout skills the employer will always need, such as sales or project management. And at the risk of sounding like your mother, I'd advise you to come in a little early and stay a little late.