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Will a Change in the Minimum Wage Affect Temp Workers in Atlanta?

May 15th, 2014

With all of the talk about minimum wage possibly being increased at the federal level, many have wondered if it will affect temporary workers in Atlanta, GA. Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the southeastern USA and it is home to thousands of temporary workers.

How will a proposed increase in the Minimum Wage affect hiring? Will there be fewer jobs available for temporary workers or will the number of positions increase? We discuss all of the possible scenarios in this post.

Positive Employment Numbers

Experts are mixed on what the outcome of an increase in minimum wage will do for overall employment numbers, including temporary employment in Atlanta. One scenario is that the hike in minimum wage will increase the number of jobs available for temporary workers. Do not forget, temporary workers are found in industries all across the city and are very popular for companies looking to complete projects quickly or using employees with specific skill-sets. For the most part, analysts believe that employment will increase and stay there for a period before it falls off once again.

A Drop in Jobs

When you think about temporary jobs as those being worked by students at colleges and universities in the Atlanta region, then you might worry about a decline in available jobs. Schools only have so much money available for their student employees, who are temporary workers. They work 20 hours or less per week, either for one semester, two semesters, the summer months or their entire time at school. Their positions become available quite often, but there might be many of these positions cut should minimum wage increase.

No Change at All

In this discussion there is the idea that there will be no change for temporary workers in Atlanta at all. How is this possible? Think about the fact that not all temporary employees earn the minimum wage right now. A large chunk of them are contract workers who are employed by large corporations to work on special projects. This means that their jobs will not be affected by the minimum wage increase at all.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The best way to tell if Atlanta’s temporary workers will be affected by an increase in minimum wage is to approve the increase and see what happens. It is quite possible that jobs will be lost in small businesses in Atlanta because they will not be able to pay the increased wages, but temporary workers with higher-level contracts will not feel the repercussions. The increase could also pump some energy into the city’s economy by creating more jobs. Only time will tell.

Staffing Resources, an Atlanta GA Staffing Agency, enjoys sharing the news and updates for the region. We can help your business to maintain a skilled workforce while controlling costs. If you are looking for temp jobs in Atlanta GA, contact us today.

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