outsourcing

Outsourcing v. Permanent Hires

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Calculated Risk: Diffusion Index and Temporary Help

The thinking is that before companies hire permanent employees following a recession, employers will first increase the hours worked of current employees and also hire temporary employees. Since the number of temporary workers increased sharply, some people think this might be signaling the beginning of an employment recovery.

However, there has been some evidence of a shift by employers to more temporary workers, and the saying may become “We are all temporary now!”, so use this increase with caution. For more, including some cautionary comments from a BLS economist on using temporary help, see Tom Abate’s article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The problem, of course, is the fact that temps and perma-temps are the first to be terminated at the beginning of a business cycle downturn and the first to be hired when the cycle turns back upwards.  If you’re a temp, that is.  Read the entire SF Chronicle article.  It’s a good, short read.

Health Insurance for Freelancers

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This is an interesting development in the world of temporary and contract workers.  Bear in mind, once you become a W-2 that changes the composition of your business as a self-employed individual.  Examine the pluses and minuses before making a switch like this.

Outsourcing Firm’s Latest Offering: Health Insurance – BusinessWeek

Switching to services like oDesk Payroll has tax implications for freelancers as well. While workers who switch will no longer be subject to the self-employment tax, they will also lose many of the deductions they claim as contract employees.

Permanent Elimination of Jobs

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How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America – The Atlantic (March 2010)

The construction and finance industries, bloated by a decade-long housing bubble, are unlikely to regain their former share of the economy, and as a result many out-of-work finance professionals and construction workers won’t be able to simply pick up where they left off when growth returns—they’ll need to retrain and find new careers. (For different reasons, the same might be said of many media professionals and auto workers.) And even within industries that are likely to bounce back smartly, temporary layoffs have generally given way to the permanent elimination of jobs, the result of workplace restructuring. Manufacturing jobs have of course been moving overseas for decades, and still are; but recently, the outsourcing of much white-collar work has become possible. Companies that have cut domestic payrolls to the bone in this recession may choose to rebuild them in Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Bangalore, accelerating off-shoring decisions that otherwise might have occurred over many years.

The Contingent Workforce – a $425 Billion Market

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You’re Hired. At Least for Now. – Kiplinger.com

The job is not a timeless fact of human existence.  It is a social artifact.

William Bridges wrote these words over 15 years ago.  We need to fully understand this concept and decide what kind of future we want for ourselves.  Do you want to be in or out?  Nearly four years ago I started my business on a part-time basis.  One year ago, I became  100% self-employed. If you are an underwriter, the time to be an independent for hire has never been better.

If you’re in underwriting management your options for creating the right hybrid model to fit your needs has never been better.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

I have a mortgage, two kids in college, and a small fleet of cars to support.  Hire me please.

Remote Underwriting Positions – Jacobson

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I found the following in my email this morning.  Good luck if you’re looking for work.

We value your continued interest and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you or any referrals that are a match for our projects. If we do not have your current resume on file, please email it to us at dshay@jacobsononline.com or lsalem@jacobsononline.com.

We will be in contact regarding future projects. Please do not hesitate to pass along our contact information; we are always appreciative of referrals.

Warm regards,

Diana Shay
Fulfillment Manager
Direct Dial: (312) 884-0424

Lauren Salem
Client Service Manager
Direct Dial: (312) 884-0443

The Jacobson Group
120 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1410
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Toll Free: (800) 466-1578
www.jacobsononline.com

Life This established insurance corporation has a need for multiple life underwriters with extensive BGA experience.  Our client requires that these consultants have a minimum signing authority of $3 million. TBD, Estimate is 4-6 months Remote

Force Field Analysis (FFA)

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Force Field Analysis – Lewin, Kurt

According to Kurt Lewin “An issue is held in balance by the interaction of two opposing sets of forces – those seeking to promote change (driving forces) and those attempting to maintain the status quo (restraining forces)”. Lewin viewed organizations as systems in which the present situation was not a static pattern, but a dynamic balance (“equilibrium”) of forces working in opposite directions. In order for any change to occur, the driving forces must exceed the restraining forces, thus shifting the equilibrium.

If you need to outsource, do this analysis first.

“We’re All Temps Now”

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Very good BW article.  Ignore at your own risk.

The Disposable Worker – BusinessWeek

You know American workers are in bad shape when a low-paying, no-benefits job is considered a sweet deal. Their situation isn’t likely to improve soon; some economists predict it will be years, not months, before employees regain any semblance of bargaining power. That’s because this recession’s unusual ferocity has accelerated trends—including offshoring, automation, the decline of labor unions’ influence, new management techniques, and regulatory changes—that already had been eroding workers’ economic standing.

The forecast for the next five to 10 years: more of the same, with paltry pay gains, worsening working conditions, and little job security. Right on up to the C-suite, more jobs will be freelance and temporary, and even seemingly permanent positions will be at greater risk. “When I hear people talk about temp vs. permanent jobs, I laugh,” says Barry Asin, chief analyst at the Los Altos (Calif.) labor-analysis firm Staffing Industry Analysts. “The idea that any job is permanent has been well proven not to be true.” As Kelly Services (KELYA) CEO Carl Camden puts it: “We’re all temps now.”

Debating the Wrong Debate – Outsourced Underwriting Will Become the New Normal

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These Jobs May Not Come Back – BusinessWeek

I’ve maintained for several years that many of the jobs being eliminated are just not coming back.  We are way past the debate of whether or not outsourced underwriting is a good or bad business practice.  Outsourced underwriting will be the new normal.

Read this Business Week article.  Send me your comments.