TEMP IS TEMPTING And No One's Complaining
FINDING THEIR FEET Given that
the pay gap between temporary & permanent salaries has been reducing, more
people are encouraged to take the leap.
However, these options are not available for every role or in every industry.
When investing, it is often
said, higher the risk you take, more are the chances of a higher return. The
rules seem to be the same for the job market. Many freshers are spurning (or
even leaving) permanent, stable jobs to take up temporary roles in bigger firms
which could give them the first big break or help them climb the ladder faster.
Getting a temporary
position in a large multinational company is actually easier than landing a
permanent role. “Many at the entryto midlevel are choosing temp roles to get a
chance to create an opening balance to propel to a better career which
otherwise will be elusive,“ says Rituparna Chakraborty, cofounder, TeamLease.
The good news is that the
pay gap between temporary salaries and permanent salaries have been narrowing
(see table). This reduces the risk and encourages more to take the plunge.
“Being the ecommerce and IT hub, sectors which recruits temps in large numbers,
Bengaluru is one of the most favoured cities for such positions. Startups too
need temporary employees,“ says Sairee Chahal, CEO, Sheroes.in, a flexi-jobs
site focused on women.
WHO AND HOW
Since employment contracts
are for the short-term, companies are more flexible in hiring. But if you
perform well, chances are high that you will get absorbed by the same firm in a
permanent role. The average contract is for 12 months. “Our experience show
that almost half our temp attrition are on account of the temp getting absorbed
by the companies where they have been deployed,“ says Chakraborty . However, it
is always on the basis of performance.
For a fresher with fewer
qualifications or of mediocre merit, the tempjob route is good for the CV and
an excellent learning opportunity too.“The exposure makes them highly
employable,“ says Chakraborty.Many are choosing a temp job over a permanent
role just to work with a big name, which could imply permanent jobs and higher
pay later.
Another category of temp
employees are those who plan to study fur ther. Even though in a temporary
position, a stint at a major is more valued than a permanent role in a small
firm. “This experience adds immensely to their CV and someone with a
not-so-impressive graduation degree can use this as a tool to make his profile
look better before applying for higher studies in top colleges.“ says
Chakraborty .
The ideal temp candidates
are usually graduates or with professional degrees, 20-30 years' old and with
three to four years of experience.However, all big companies have huge openings
for consultants who have skill and expertise in their respective fields. This
makes temping relevant for not only entry-level jobs but for even mid-level
hires.
THE RISKS
While temping offers a
quicker entry into the job market, the ability to move up depends on one's
performance. “Temping will get you an opportunity but the company would like to
retain high performers only ,“ says Chahal. If you do not get absorbed you will
have to switch from one temp-role to another, which can result in irregular
income. There is also a risk of losing job without a notice period since as you
are not on the payroll. But that may not happen often since demand is high.
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Chandralekha
Mukerji
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ET20APR16
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