Temp Workers Get the Ax

Temporary employment in the US has fallen in each of the last six months and in July was 2% down from the start of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The rate of temporary employment is often used as a bellwether for the overall employment picture because temporary workers are usually let go before full-time employees.

One major temporary employment agency is shutting a number of branch offices, reflecting a downturn. "People are scared right at the moment," said a temporary worker in the IT sector. "If people aren't looking for help, if they're just trying to  retrench and retrench  and retrench, it doesn't pay my bills." (More temporary employment stories.)