(Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from our sister company, FoxHire. This article was written by TE’s Communication Coordinator, Matt Deutsch, and was originally posted on the Recruiter Training Center blog.)
Now, more than ever, companies are looking to hire skilled workers on a contract basis. Contract staffing isn’t just a now-and-again phenomenon or stop-gap measure—it’s a way of conducting business for companies in the new economy.
If you’re a recruiter and you place direct hire candidates, you should seriously consider adding contract staffing to your business model. If you already place candidates on a contract basis, have you ever considered placing recent retirees? In a growing trend known as “retiree re-staffing,” companies are tapping into the immense experience and expertise that these types of candidates can offer.
According to recruiting industry trainer Greg Doersching of The Griffin Search Group, recent retirees (and workers at that age) are very attractive to companies looking to hire on a contract basis.
“That’s going to be your contract candidate pool for the next five to 10 years,” said Doersching, “especially in areas like IT and Engineering.”
And why are recent retirees good candidates for contract work, besides the knowledge and experience that they’ve cultivated over the past 30 to 40 years?
“They can work six months on a contract, and then cruise around in their RVs to the local casinos,” said Doersching. “Their houses are already paid for, and their contract assignments provide them with income.”
According to Doersching, the retirement of the Baby Boomer Generation has left companies depleted in terms of experience. “Retiree re-staffing” is the chief way in which these companies are choosing to retain as much of that experience as they can.
“Companies are losing way too much experience with the retirement of the Baby Boomers,” said Doersching. “Some companies are sucking that experience back in on contract. They don’t have enough people to replace all of that experience.”
What about your recruiting firm or desk? Do you place candidates on a contract basis, and if you do, have you placed recent retirees? Are your clients asking for these types of contract workers?
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Greg Doersching is managing partner and founder of The Griffin Search Group, a national search firm working in the direct hire placement industry. Recognized as one of the most cutting-edge voices in recruiting, Doersching has presented training sessions for the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS); the American Staffing Association (ASA_; and the Association of Canadian Search, Employment, and Staffing Services; among many others.
