Temps Permanently Here

Latest figures from the Recruitment and Employee Confederation (REC) show the UK has the highest number of temporary workers in Europe, with over 1.3 million temps working in the UK – that's 5% of the UK workforce and growing.

HCL Nursing Managing Director Helen Rudanec says the trend is seeing more and more workers trading in their permanent contracts to become freelancers, consultants and temporary staff, looking for genuine working flexibility and a better work-life balance to suit their personal needs.

"It's easy to see why - temporary staff enjoy most of the rights of their permanent colleagues, typically earn more and have the ability to develop and improve their own skill base through exposure to numerous employment situations. Many are attracted by the independence and flexibility temporary work offers," Ms Rudanec says.

Temporary employment is now a permanent feature of the UK's business landscape and for many organisations, integral to business strategy.

"Temporary workers can be quickly deployed to cope with unforeseen job demands, cover sickness, holiday absence and maternity leave and provide extra support during seasonal periods like the Christmas rush or financial year end.

This is especially important for a sector such as healthcare; an inadequate level of skilled staff carries potentially life threatening consequences."

Matching employers with short-term needs to employees with short-term availability or flexible preferences is a win-win for business and workers juggling various responsibilities such as childcare, education and higher learning.

"Temporary workers are now a permanent fixture in the modern workforce. At HCL Nursing we support the career choices of our nurses - they choose the shifts they want, at the location they decide for the length of time they require. We invest in the development of our temporary nurses and this has long term benefits for us, them, our clients and most importantly, the patients they care for.

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For any further information, contact HCL Communications and PR Manager Laura Ackland on +44 (0) 207 451 1448.

About HCL plc
HCL plc, headquartered in London, was formed in 2003 and is a leading provider of staffing solutions in the health and social care sectors. HCL supplies over 2,000 temporary and permanent doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, qualified social workers and administration & clerical staff to public and private sectors every week. We are an international company with offices in the UK and Australia and recruitment drives in Europe. For more information please visit our website at www.hclplc.com, view our facebook page or follow us on twitter @HCLplc.