I work for them. I got laid off by IBM last year and at 58 years old was having trouble getting work. They are the only ones with whom I got an interview. Turns out I went to work in the same place I got fired from, as a Manpower contractor at 1/3 the pay. IBM’s happy cause they got rid of an expensive employee, Manpower’s happy because they got 35 years of IT experience for basically nothing and I’m wondering how I’m going to pay my property taxes this year.
It’s a new America.
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you were good at saving for retirement. These temp agencies are not such a sweet deal.
You can thank Congress and the IRS for the rise of these temp agencies. About 20 years ago, it was easy to temp on your own. Obviously the overall employment situation was different. However, it was easy to approach a company about working as a contractor.
Today it is very difficult to work as a contractor on your own. Congress and other busy bodies have determined that you must be classified as an employee unless you meet some stringent conditions. Some of this labor law change was due to contractors after the fact claiming to be employees when a company did well. In the name of protection and tax collection, Congress restricts the ability of an employer and contractor to arrange work contracts.
In these difficult times, contractor status is much better than no work. Congress will not even entertain the idea that loosening labor laws would provide more work for white collar professionals.