Definitions of Staffing Services

Services

Human Resource Consulting
A staffing firm advises clients on a broad range of work force solutions, including strategies and services for optimizing staff and skill levels, employee productivity, training, and recruitment and retention.

Long-Term and Contract Help
A staffing firm recruits workers and assigns them to support or supplement a client's work force on longer-term assignments. Workers may be employed by the staffing firm or assigned as independent contractors.

Managed Services
A staffing firm assumes full responsibility for operating a specific client function (e.g., call center) on a continuing basis.

Outplacement
A staffing firm provides career transition services, including career counseling, testing, training, interview coaching, and referrals, to assist a client's separating employees.

Payrolling
A staffing firm places on its payroll employees recruited or hired by the client. Payrolling is distinguished from PEO arrangements in that the employees generally are on temporary assignments and make up a small proportion of the client's work force.

Professional Employer Organization (PEO or Employee Leasing)
A business places all or most of its work force on the payroll of a staffing firm, and the staffing firm assumes responsibility for payroll, benefits, and other human resource functions.

Recruitment and Placement
A staffing firm finds qualified job candidates and brings them together with potential employers for the purpose of establishing a "permanent" employment relationship.

Temporary Help
A staffing firm recruits and screens workers and assigns them to support or supplement a client's work force to keep fully staffed during busy times, gain special expertise or staff special projects, or fill temporary vacancies. Workers may be employed by the staffing firm or assigned as independent contractors.

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

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, telephony, 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).