For those of us who are over 50, the prospect of seeking out new employment is intimidating. We may think that in a lifetime of work we have grown above working for an employment agency, but they like us have come a long way since we were first in the labour market.
Employment Agencies, for our purposes, are agencies that place workers in third party organisations, pay the worker and administer tax and insurance for them, and are themselves paid by the third party. By its nature, this type of work is temporary, lasting from a few hours to several months or even years.
As with every other profession, employment agencies have become ever more specialised, and their services moved have moved on so that although gang masters still supply basic labour to the agricultural and other low-wage sectors there are many highly professional operators offering quality employment to qualified and professional staff.
Unskilled and Semiskilled
At the level of unskilled or semi skilled labour two types of agency exist:
Gang Masters
There is no doubt that gang masters stand at the very bottom of the hierarchy, and exist, in many different guises in most developed countries providing work for usually immigrant labour.
High Street Agencies
Either small businesses, or large national chains they supply unskilled and semi-skilled labour to local businesses.
Employment is generally for as little as a day but can be for a longer period, for instance the Christmas rush.
Though many of these organisations are very reputable and professional, they rely on churn, the ongoing movement of people and jobs in the market. Some of these jobs do turn into long term employment (they charge the employer a fee for this), most dont.
Skilled, Supervisory and Middle Management Staff
The same high street agencies often deal with the next level up, skilled and middle management. These appointments, though still temporary, tend to go on for longer and frequently become permanent. Many older people who are probably not seeking a career path may find this a very satisfactory way of working allowing them to move on if they don't like the work or the people they work with, take breaks when they want, and yet pay the mortgage.
There is sometimes a stigma about this sort of work but needs must when the devil drives.
Temporary appointments like this are a useful foot in the door. If you can make yourself indispensable, or if as a fresh and experienced eye spot ways to improve the clients business, temporary jobs can be made into permanent appointments especially as the opening originally arose because the regular incumbent left without warning.
Executive
Consultancy
Temporary management and consultancy often shade into one another. A consultancy generally has an express purpose, facilitating a development within the client organisation. In some areas, software engineering for instance, the consultancy path is quite normal and people make a career out of it. As an older employee a years work always comes in handy, and it is a truism that it is always easier to get a job if you already have one.
Interim Management
If Agency Managers are the bottom end of the consultancy spectrum, interim management is near the top.
Interim Managers are often directly employed by the client organisation though normally for a defined period, covering a major reorganisation, or releasing the companies own managers to launch a new branch or handle an acquisition. Appointments usually last at least six months and often go on for years. There are specific Interim Management agencies who can be Googled.
Associates
Though strictly outside of the scope of this article, requiring you to be self-employed, many consultancy organisations take on associates to boost their capacity for specific projects. In fact many smaller consultancies which are faced with feast and famine work cycles as contracts come and go.
In essence these organisations act as agents on your behalf, looking out for work for you, and living on the margin between what they charge and what you charge.
This has a lot in common with commission only employment but a lot of people make a good living this way.
Conclusion
In a tight employment market, and with the added disadvantage of a few grey hairs, older workers are foolish to discount employment agencies that can be your road back to the world of work.
