The surge in contract staffing that we have reported on numerous times over the past year is more than a passing fancy, according to a recent article by The Kansas City Star, which was brought to our attention by recruiter Carlene White, President of White/TemTech, LLC, in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.  In fact, the article describes contract staffing as an "evolution" and has coined the term "adhocracy" to identify it.

So what is "adhocracy?" According to the article, it is the trend of hiring workers on an "ad hoc," or contract, basis to work on teams created for specific projects that will only last a specific amount of time.  

While the recession and slow recovery may have accelerated it, this trend has really been building since the 1980's and has reached its full potential mainly due to the surge of technology, such as personal computers, the Internet, and mobile phones. Now companies can pull together "virtual teams" with talent from anywhere in the United States.  And workers have the flexibility of working when they want from wherever they want. According to the Human Capital Institute, the pool of workers available for contract work is multiplying at more than twice the rate of the traditional, full-time workforce.

This situation seems particularly suited to the Information Technology industry, which happens to be one of the largest areas in which Top Echelon Contracting places contractors.  Brian Mennecke, a management information systems professor at Iowa State University, said in the article that information-technology graduates are more like to find contract work rather than being hired direct.  

But while contract work may be an obvious fit for IT, marketing, writing, design, and other similar careers, it is not limited to any industry or type of position.  Anyone who has specialized skills that are sought after can enjoy the flexibility contracting has to offer.  So if you have candidates who are looking for a change from the traditional 9-to-5 grind, or clients who need to complete projects without adding to their head count over the long haul, you may want to consider offering contracting services.

Debbie Fledderjohann is the President of Top Echelon Contracting, Inc.