A decade ago, temporary work was considered as extra income for professionals seeking permanent employment. However, today it is for many workers an attractive way of life. Emmanuel Caron, financial planner, has chosen to be a contractor and has a hard time leaving this type of contract and giving up the many benefits that ensue.
According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, nearly 500,000 people held a temporary job in 2016 (more than 1 in 10 Quebec workers). According to Emmanuel Caron, choosing this type of contract came when he moved from his home town to settle in Montreal. “I was able to boost my value on the labour market,” he explains. “Employers paid much more for my services than if they hired me.”
Indeed, to compensate for the lack of social benefits and to attract candidates, employers often pay a higher salary for temporary contracts.
Independence
Temporary contracts connect the worker to the company for only a few months. Often, however, this type of assignment is offered by organizations to test candidates before hiring them full time. According to Emmanuel Caron, this way of operating benefits workers. “A few months before the end of my contract, the company began to set out its markers and see if I would like to stay on with them,” he recounts. “In this position, hiring negotiations are to my advantage since in return for the loss of my mobility I can ask for a better salary and more beneficial working conditions.”
However, the financial planner hesitates to accept a permanent contract. “I feel good as a contractor,” he says. “I have more independence, I can take vacations at my expense at any time and I am not indebted to the company in which I am on a temporary assignment.”
Meeting new people
Other benefits that contract jobs offer include the opportunity to meet new people, to encounter different business cultures and to vary tasks. For Emmanuel Caron, this aspect is very stimulating. “For someone who is less willing to bend to local mindsets, this type of contract can be difficult. As far as I am concerned, I love the challenge of having to find a way to integrate socially with each new business. I love meeting new people!”
For job seekers or employees wanting a change of situation, a temporary contract is an attractive alternative to permanent work. Why not try for adventure like Emmanuel Caron?