If you are own a business or are involved in recruitment, hiring or are simply seeking employment yourself, at some point you will come across the term ‘labour hire’. This can also be described as temping, labour supply or supplementary staffing. But whether you are looking for labour hire in Brisbane or Perth, it’s important to understand what it is and why it may be a solution for you.
Defining Labour Hire
If there a short or long term project that needs the focus of a business, employees may be contracted on a short or long-term basis in order to complete the project. This is a common occurrence in manual labour, but now companies in other industries have realised the benefits of hiring workers when more manpower is required to get the work done, but with no assurances of further work. The terms of employment are not the same and this is not like hiring a permanent employee for your business. It is also not to be confused with casual workers, as these workers are essentially outsourced contractors. Your obligations are not as an employer in this instance, and the benefits the labour receives will not match those as if they worked directly for your organisation.
Basically, labour hire is borrowing help from the wide net of workers on the market, from unskilled to highly qualified. These workers can move from organisation to organisation and they may work on a freelance basis or be contracted to one hiring company, such as a recruitment firm. Skillforce recruitment can find skilled workers for your company and provide you with the best employees for your role, whether in accounting, admin, healthcare, construction or technology, amongst many others.
When is Labour Hire Useful?
If you have a temporary project that demands attention or if you need some qualified individuals that aren’t currently within your organisation but you don’t have the time or resources to search for these people then you may need a short-term solution of labour hire. It may be something like installation of new technology or an electrical overhaul on your premises or it may be researching a new product for a client. Sometimes you just need extra hands during the busy season such as Christmas or summer. Recruitment companies have plenty of skilled people on their books that will be well suited to whatever task you require them for.
Why Labour Hire is Advantageous to Those Out of Work.
If you are a job seeker, getting connected with a reputable labour hire company can put you in the market for consistent work with a great variety of clients. This can increase your experience and exposure to different industries and make you more attractive to other permanent employers. It also allows you to find out more about what you like and don’t like to do for work. Labour hire can also be helpful if you want to work locally, as if you can’t find a permanent local opportunity you may find a range of projects that are available in your line of business rather than having to move for work. You may find the inherent flexibility of labour hire preferable to working for the one company for years and years. A good recruitment company such as Skillforce recruitment will have connections across numerous industries and can help you find a good fit for your skills.
What is a Labour Hire Business?
Often referred to as an agency, a labour hire business is a third party company who provide outsourced workers on a temporary and sometimes permanent basis to companies that require them. This sounds pretty simple but this not all that a labour hire business does. They also
- Pre-screen employees
- Handle all the administration that is required to take on a new member of staff, so they can show up to your business and start work.
- Pay wages
- Pay worker’s compensation insurance
- Handle all record-keeping and maintain payroll tax
Labour hire companies give you quick and easy access to qualified workers without the headache of going through the recruitment and hiring process.
Benefit to Using a Labour Hire Company
Sometimes due to long absences such as maternity leave, career breaks or the ill health of an employee, you just need to bridge a gap. Other situations such as seasonal fluctuations can mean that you require extra staff so it’s easy to see why using a labour-hire company is beneficial. But here are some other benefits to consider:
* Less outlay on hiring
The process of hiring an employee is expensive, and it’s only getting higher. If you only need to plug a temporary gap, this is unnecessary expenditure, even though the work needs to be done. And the cost of hiring someone new goes far past paying their wages. You need to advertise for the position, take the time to go through CV’s, conduct interviews and check their references. All the time that you, or one of your qualified employees spends on this process costs you money.
A labour hire company already does all of this for you, so you’ve already saved money.
* Training
Even if you’ve put in the required effort to find the right person to fill a position, extra training may be required to get them up to speed at your organisation. Extra training costs money. However, with labour hire, workers are screened for compatibility so you can be sure that whoever is provided has the right skills and experience that you need. This means they can start straight away, so there’s no downtime that you might have when investing in a new permanent employee.
* Complete Background Checks
Labour hire companies are in the business of hiring people every day. Thus, thorough background checks are required and there’s a strict process in place to vet each worker. They will have a full history and run-down of a worker so that you can rest assured that the quality of the staff provided are top-notch.
If you’re looking for labour hire in Perth, Brisbane or anywhere across Australia, call now on 08 6142 5700 to speak to one of the expert team at Skillforce Recruitment.