Consider Contract and Temporary Jobs as a Long Term Job Seeking Strategy

More companies are continuing to reduce their staff to ensure lean operations and survivability. Singaproe Airlines have recently announced a wage freeze for its management, a shorter work month for the senior management team. And UMC (Singapore-Pasir Ris Plant) has also recently layed off 20% of its Taiwanese engineers, and these engineers will leave the company by mid-April 09.

Most manufacturing companies have been cutting costs through laying off workers, reducing wages and shorter working week. Those who have been laid off have been finding difficulties getting a job with their past working manufacturing experience. Well, the lucky ones will have sufficient severance pay package to tie them through a more than 6 months. But ultimately, it'll still deplete its reserve if no new job has been found.

So what can these jobseekers do to get through this current crisis?

Permanent jobs may not be secure as well. More and more companies have started to consider contract and temporary staffs just to augment its existing lean permanent team while the management team adopt a wait and see attitude to have a clearer vision of the far horizon. Taking up contract and temporary jobs may not neccessary be a bad thing. You're still building up your working experience, something that you'll still be able to leverage on when the economy starts to recover. And working on contracts and temporary jobs allows you to maintain certain level of momentum in your working life, allowing you to have some active income to sustain your financial needs. And most importantly, contract and temporary jobs gives your opportunities to work in various companies, exposing yourself to different cultures, and increasing your mid to long term employability.

Companies are more willing to offer contract and temporary staff a permanent position when there is a place, or when the economy recovers as they have already know you, and worked with you for a brief period.

If you use contract and temporary employment as a strategy for long term employability, your chances of getting it will definitely be greatly increased. Remember the waves have already crushed down on us. While we're fighting hard to get our heads out of the water, we'll also need to swim to position to be ready for the next big wave.

I wish you all the best!

To Your Success,
Allan Heng