‘Consultant’ vs. ‘Temporary Worker’: Staffing Word of The Week

Research by SIA asked temporary workers, “With regarding to the temporary work you perform through your staffing agency, what do you prefer to be called?” Turns out, 88% said they prefer something else other than “temp” or “temporary.” One of the most-preferred term by the workers is “consultant,” preferred by 30% of workers.

Consultant is also this week’s Staffing Word of the Week. SIA’s Lexicon defines consultant as:

“A term often used interchangeably with ‘temporary employee,’ though typically one performing professional-level work in areas such as IT, engineering or management consulting services. Confusingly, in some European countries ‘Consultant’ is also the term commonly used to describe the front-office staff in a temporary work agency.”

SIA’s report noted the term consultant was favored more by contingent workers earning more than $60,000 per year; 59% of them preferred the term consultant. In comparison, 8% of contingent workers earning between $16,000 and $30,000 preferred the term consultant. Contractor was the preferred term for 30% of those workers.

The report is online for SIA corporate members. The Lexicon is available free to all.

Original Article: https://www2.staffingindustry.com/Editorial/Daily-News/Consultant-vs.-temporary-worker-Staffing-Word-of-the-Week-58815