- Office
- Industrial
- Medical
- Technical/Professional
Office Temps
Clearly, the largest numbers of temporary jobs fall into the office category. Clerical help is rarely cyclical or seasonal; it is a constant in business. A sampling of occupational titles in this area follows, in approximate order from lowest- to highest-paying positions. (This does not represent a complete listing).
The forecasted growth and demand for skilled office support personnel is exceedingly high, particularly for information processing temps. A study by Xerox Corporation showed that a word processing or PC station is currently on one out of every five office desks and that by 1989, three out of five is predicted.
Computerization was the real catalyst for the growth of the temporary help industry. The increased technology created a "Catch-22" in the workplace. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, companies purchased equipment which could speed up office operations, but they lacked the "people" power and know-how to make it happen. The staffing dilemma of the typist who was forced to become a word-processor or PC operator happened too quickly for most organizations; and to keep up productivity, they turned to outside help. Temporary services began supplying qualified office automation operators and changed the face of the temporary help industry forever. In a perception to expand the temp industry's labor pool, many firms set up training divisions. Their goal was to train unskilled temps, as well as to upgrade and cross-train temps with existing skills, thus increasing the overall supply of available temps. Many temps became better versed in the use of the machinery and software than the permanent employees. The mid-1980s saw the rise in the use of conversion teams, a team of temps who came into an office to set up the equipment and systems for the permanent staff and then trained them in its use. Temps quickly learned that the fastest way to an increased paycheck was by learning to operate a word-processor or PC. Today, it is not unusual for a temp to be fluent in several of the most popular software packages. The difficulty is that the technology changes so rapidly that state of the art means something new every week.
Of all the office job orders received by temporary services daily, an estimated 80 to 85 percent require some degree of office automation skills. The New York Times reports that between 20 and 30 million letters are written, typed/inputted, and mailed each day. We believe that much of this is accomplished with the help of temporary employees.
What Office Skills Are Most in Demand?
Although the use of specific equipment varies around the country, it is the general consensus that any word processing, PC, and typing skills command immediate attention. Terry Hueneke of Manpower Inc. tells us:
There has been a shift in terminology from word processing to text processing. This indicates a shift in the market from the dedicated word processor to the personal computer and midrange or mainframe computer on a PC or terminal as a work station. Skill requests are for more than straight word of text processing: clients also need electronic spreadsheet, data base, and data entry skills, such as calendaring, scheduling, and electronic mail. These requests mirror an evolution of equipment in the marketplace.
We asked temp services nationwide what were their most frequent personal requests for computer software packages. Here is what they said, not in any particular order of popularity.
If these names hold a lot of mystery for you, you are probably not currently temping in an office environment. If you are unfamiliar with what a personal computer can do, you need to educate yourself about the automated office. We suggest that you visit a computer store, one that sells home and business equipment, and ask for a demonstration (on the pretext of buying). You will be amazed at the capabilities of these desk-top wizards. You may also investigate several trade publications written for computer industry personnel; some of these titles may be available at your local library. While the actual content of these magazines may be too complicated for the novice, you can pick up important buzzwords and examine photographs of the most recent technology for your own reference we offer a very simplified definition of a personal computer: It is a small computer system capable of accomplishing a variety of tasks. It can perform word processing functions, which allow you to create text on a screen and then manipulate the text to your liking without erasures, misspellings, or fuss. An operator can transpose words, delete pieces of text, change words, copy whole sections of text, repaginate, and much more, just by touching the keyboard. A personal computer also allows you the ability to do spreadsheet functions; that is, the electronic processing of numbers. Rather than use a traditional pencil and ledger sheet, an operator can key in financial information and display it on the screen. The computer can do all basic maths, as well as produce graphs and charts. A PC can also be a data-base management system, which permits the operator to create and manipulate a collection of information organized by a particular method.
