Increasing numbers of employers are practising a ‘try before they buy’ approach to hiring new staff during the economic downturn.

According to a specialist recruitment agency there has been a surge in the number of firms looking to carry out ‘working interviews’ by hiring potential full time staff as temporary workers for a trial period.

The latest half yearly report and salary survey from national recruiter Crone Corkill claims that demand for temporary personnel has increased in the last six months as employers assess staffing requirements on a project by project basis. In an increasing number of cases those temporary posts are being made permanent.

“What this means is that the temporary assignment has in effect become aform of ‘working interview’ where candidates can prove their worth before the organisation commits to increasing permanent headcount,” said Lee Dempster, Operations Director at Crone Corkill.

“We are definitely seeing signs of organisations preparing for recovery”.

The report also suggests that retention is fast becoming a key issue for employers as the economy begins to revive. Almost a quarter of the 600 companies questioned by Crone Corkill said retaining talent is likely to be their top challenge over the coming months as any recovery in the market will inevitably lead to employees evaluating other options as they become available.

“Many companies could find themselves losing some of their most important staff just as the country emerges from the recession,” warned Gordon Mowat of Aspire Management Services.

“The best way to keep key workers is to make them feel a value part of the team. Everybody has had increased stress over the last few months and helping staff to further their careers by offering training and coaching, listening to what they want and rewarding them with bonuses or even just flexible working hours or time off in lieu can make a huge difference to staff satisfaction.

“It would be a tragedy if companies had made it through the recession only to lose out during the recovery because their most important staff were being lured away to other companies because they felt undervalued.”