hire temporary staff

Meaning

To employ workers for a limited period to cover seasonal demand, parental leave, or short-term project workloads. These workers are not permanent members of the company and usually have fixed-term contracts.

Examples

• Retailers usually hire temporary staff to handle the massive rush during the holiday season.

  Retailers usually hire temporary staff to handle the massive rush during the holiday season.

• We need to hire temporary staff to cover for Sarah while she is on maternity leave.

  We need to hire temporary staff to cover for Sarah while she is on maternity leave.

• Instead of committing to full-time salaries, the startup decided to hire temporary staff for the launch.

  Instead of committing to full-time salaries, the startup decided to hire temporary staff for the launch.

• The warehouse had to hire temporary staff to help package and ship the sudden influx of orders.

  The warehouse had to hire temporary staff to help package and ship the sudden influx of orders.

• It is often easier to hire temporary staff through a specialized recruitment agency.

  It is often easier to hire temporary staff through a specialized recruitment agency.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We will hire temporal staff for the summer project.

  ✓ We will hire temporary staff for the summer project.

  'Temporal' refers to time in a philosophical or spiritual sense (as opposed to eternal). 'Temporary' is the correct adjective for something that lasts for a limited time.

• ✗ The agency helped us hire temporary staffs for the event.

  ✓ The agency helped us hire temporary staff for the event.

  'Staff' is a collective noun and is used in the singular form when referring to a group of employees. Do not add an 's' to make it plural.

Related Expressions

Practice

• During the busy summer months, hotels often ___ to keep up with guest demands.

  💡 Employ short-term workers to assist with peak seasons.

  Show answer

  hire temporary staff

• When three team members went on medical leave at the same time, we had to ___.

  💡 Find short-term coverage for absent employees.

  Show answer

  hire temporary staff