Contract Employees have emerged  as the new employee model for employers. Looking at labor statistics there are between 5 million and 40 million people in this country who are choosing flexible hours of employment. We call these employees Contractors, Temps or Contingent Workers.

Whatever you choose to call them employers are viewing these professionals as the workforce of the future. A recent report in a prominent Business Journal stated that 58 percent of companies plan to use temporary employees at all levels over the next few years, and according to the American Staffing Association, U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 2.8 million temporary and contract workers per day in 2011.

What was once viewed as an untrained, not qualified work pool is the furthest from reality in today’s workforce. In fact there is a surplus of contract employees out there today who are actually super-skilled professionals with advanced skills and strong work ethic. They fill temporary vacancies, support overstretched full-time workers, flex your workforce during spurts of growth. But these traditional reasons are often thought of as a reactive tactic to business demands.

Companies are finding many advantages to hiring contract employees. They offer you a fresh perspective outside of your current employees. Oftentimes you will find that their previous experience with a competitive company could offer you a unique insight on best practices. The need for training has been eliminated as you are bringing on an experienced professional. Companies are also finding that contract employees allow them to [try before they buy]. In other words you can assess and evaluate a contract employee before committing to them as long term employees.

So the next time you have that special project or in need of that ideal employee strongly consider a contract employee for 3-6 months first. This would be a win-win for both the employee and employer.