More than 60% of worldwide employers do not see temporary labour as critical to business success, according to a new report from Manpower.

The report also shows that the most common reason worldwide for recruiting temporary workers is to meet peak seasonal demand - with nearly one in five employers doing this, while only 14% of employers across the globe use temporary labour to gain greater strategic value.

Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and chief executive of Manpower Inc, says: “What began as a financial and economic crisis has evolved into a workforce crisis - and employers are struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace and the growing mismatch between needed skillsets and available talent.

“As employers and employees alike move towards more flexible ways of working to suit lifestyle changes, it is time to start leveraging the contingent workforce strategically to gain access to people with scarce, specialised skillsets: outsource non-core business functions; try out candidates before hiring for full-time positions; and provide longer-term workforce flexibility.”