A recent study was released by Harris Interactive including responses from 225 human resources managers and 2,035 employed adults. In the study about 28 percent say they chose to be a contract worker because the pay was more competitive.

“We see more and more prospective employees turning to contract work as an option in today’s market,” remarked Eileen Riebling, Division Manager for Temporary Staffing at Clarity in New York. “They turn to us not just because of our partnerships with some of the best companies to work for, but also because of the professional experience they can gain from working at these top firms.”

Employees also cited additional factors for choosing contract work over permanent placements.

• 78% agree their experience as a contractor has been a positive one.
• 73% rate their growth potential in their current role as good or excellent
• 86% say that their current level of job satisfaction is very good or excellent compared to 73% of permanent workers
• 60% strongly agree with the statement “I am paid what I’m worth” compared to 42% of permanent workers.

Companies are also seeing the benefits of contract workers.  Sixty-Seven percent of companies indicate that they currently use contingent employees.  The trust factor is so great that nearly a third of contract workers are holding managerial or supervisory positions.

“Our clients benefit tremendously from using temporary workers. Companies know they can rely on us to provide qualified, efficient candidates who will fit in with their company’s culture, contribute to the success of their firm and provide solid work results, while maintaining the flexibility of keeping headcount in check and evaluating candidate performance before deciding to add to staff” added Riebling. Twenty-one percent of companies surveyed in the study indicated that they plan to increase their temporary or contract worker population in the coming year.

“While many scholars and labor market experts attribute the growth of temporary workers to a side effect of the recent recession, the reality is that more and more workers are seeing the value of such arrangements, and are in fact more satisfied with most aspects of their work and career than their permanent counterparts,” the report said.