Staffing industry feels recovery

Local staffing firms are seeing an increased need for temporary and part time employees which is another indication of the recovering economy.
“”QPS has been receiving increased orders from client companies who are experiencing a pick-up in business,” says Mark Immekus, QPS’ executive vice president and chief sales officer.
According to Immekus, Brookfield-based QPS has set a new record for total number of hours its employees have worked.
“The numbers we are reporting now over the last month are seven percent higher than our all time highs in 2006,” Immekus said. “The numbers are also 51 percent higher than they were last year at this time.”
QPS staffs mostly for the light industrial, clerical and
Light industrial in the manufacturing sector office clerical and skilled trades industries, but also dabbles in professional staffing. 
New Berlin-based Next Level staffing is seeing similar numbers in its manufacturing and assembly line positions.
“We’ve seen a slight increase in the professional staffing and permanent placement management level staffing,” said Paul Ladson, vice president of professional operations at Next Level. “But the job placement on the manufacturing and temporary assembly side as jumped significantly over the last three weeks.”
Shannon Jaskolski, vice president of staffing operations at Next Level manages the staffing operations and has continued to develop relationships with companies who will need our services, Ladson said.
“There is a level of optimism now in the market,” Ladson said. “There is a sense that things are definitely improving and opportunities are becoming more available.”
Immekus credits the increase in temporary staffing to low inventory levels among manufacturers and an uncertainty about health care reform and their economic future.
“Right now companies don’t want to make a full time commitment and find themselves in the situation they were last year having to lay off full time employees,” Immekus said. “Many are uncertain about what the health care reform laws will mean for their full time staff as well, but many also can’t afford to increase production levels so they see us as a good solution.”
Neither Immekus or Ladson have seen an increase in the number of their temporary workers that have gotten hired full time, but both say that’s the next step.
“First its an increase in volume and then many of our employees start getting hired full time by the companies,” Immekus said. “We are starting to see that, but we’re predicting that will increase over time to reflect the changes in the market.”