When a client appointed us to undertake a permanent recruitment assignment recently, her problem was only half solved. Worried about covering the role in the interim, she jumped at our suggestion of taking on a contractor who was available immediately.

While we got on with finding a suitably qualified and experienced person for the permanent role, we were also able to supply a suitably qualified – and available – contractor to keep things ticking along until the successful candidate was ready to start.

More and more, people are choosing the ‘portfolio’ way of working, making them available at relatively short notice to take on contract assignments that work in with their other commitments. Contractors tend to have expertise and a characteristic flexibility that enable them to jump in and start swimming.

It’s a fantastic solution for businesses who need temporary cover, a specialist for a project role, or extra resources due to seasonal demand.

And according to the fore-tellers of the future, it’s the way more of us will be working.