From Staffing Industry Analysts to the Associated Press (AP), there seems to be one hot topic this summer: contract staffing.

The word is that contract hiring is going to continue to increase through the rest of 2013 as it becomes more evident that contract staffing has carved out a permanent place in the American workforce. Consider the following statistics from recent reports on the Internet:

• 31% of companies surveyed by CareerBuilder plan to hire contract workers, up from 21% last year. (ERE.net)
• The third quarter of 2013 is expected to mark the 15th consecutive quarter of year-over-year increases in contract hiring. (G. Palmer & Associates via ERE.net)
• Contact/temporary work accounted for 15% of all American job growth in the past four years. (CareerBuilder via Staffing Industry Analysts)
• The number of contract/temporary workers has jumped by more than 50% since the end of the recession. (AP).
• 3/4 of the economists surveyed by the AP believe the increased use of contract workers is the start of a long-term trend. (AP).

What is behind these statistics and all the buzz surrounding contract staffing? The economy is still one of the biggest factors.

“Companies are adding more employees to keep pace with demand for their products and services, but they’re not rushing into a full-scale expansion of headcount in light of economic headwinds that still linger today,” said CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson. “The projected surge in temporary hiring from July to December is evidence of both a growing confidence in the market and a recession-induced hesitation to immediately place more permanent hires on the books.”

But Ethan Harris, global economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, does not believe the trend is tied solely to the economy.

"There's been a generational shift toward a less committed relationship between the firm and the worker," he said.

So the question is, with all this talk about contract staffing, are YOU talking about it with your clients? If not, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity to increase your sales and create a steady stream of income for yourself. Don't assume that your clients aren't using contractors or are not interested in them just because they don't discuss them with you. They may have just assumed you don't handle contract staffing. When you start talking about contract staffing, you may just be surprised by the results!

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