Minn. expected to see bump in temporary jobs

by Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Although the nation's employers dropped a net 20,000 jobs, they did add 52,000 temporary workers to payrolls in January, according to the latest national jobs report.

Some economists consider rising temporary employment a sign of an improving job market and there are indications Minnesota will report growing temp hiring when the state releases January job numbers in a month.

Joann Simon is a regional vice president of ProStaff, which provides employers with temporary workers in a range of fields. Simon says her firm is seeing more demand for workers.

"We're definitely seeing hiring on the rise," she said. "We're seeing companies a lot more confident; we're seeing people starting to hire back."

Simon says temporary hiring activity has increased in industries including manufacturing and customer service and sales.