Employment · HR glossary

Contingent Workforce

A contingent workforce consists of people engaged to meet temporary, variable or project-based needs outside the employer's regular permanent staffing model. It may include agency workers, contractors and temporary employees.

Example

A retailer brings in temporary staff for a seasonal increase in demand and uses an external specialist for a limited systems project.

What to keep in mind

Different contingent arrangements create different obligations. Identify the legal employer, supervision arrangements, access permissions and applicable protections rather than treating all non-permanent workers as one interchangeable category.

Further reading

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