Definitions of Staffing Services

Types of Service

Placement
A staffing firm brings together job seekers and potential employers for the purpose of establishing a "permanent" employment relationship.

Temporary Help
A staffing firm hires its own employees and assigns them to support or supplement a client's work force in situations involving employee absences, temporary skill shortages, seasonal workloads, and special projects.

Temporary to Hire
A staffing firm employee works for a client during a trial period in which both the employee and the client consider establishing a "permanent" employment relationship.

Long-Term Staffing
A staffing firm supplies employees to work on long-term assignments. Employees are recruited, screened, and assigned by the staffing firm.

Occupational Categories

Health Care
Physicians, dentists, nurses, hygienists, medical technicians, therapists, home health aides, custodial care workers, etc.

Industrial
Manual laborers, food handlers, cleaners, assemblers, drivers, tradesmen, machine operators, maintenance workers, etc.

Information Technology
Consultants, analysts, programmers, designers, installers, and other occupations involving computer sciences (hardware or software) or communications technology (Internet, telephone, etc.).

Office–Clerical
Secretaries, general office clerks, receptionists, administrative assistants, word-processing and data entry operators, cashiers, etc.

Professional–Managerial
Accountants, bookkeepers, attorneys, paralegals, middle and senior managers, advertising and marketing executives, and other nontechnical occupations that require higher skill or education levels.

Technical
Engineers, scientists, laboratory technicians, architects, draftsmen, technical writers and illustrators, and other individuals with special skills or training in technical fields involving math or science (not including information technology).