Agencies offer temps crappy terms because they can

In good times in Temp Town, rates go up as the labor market becomes tighter. We haven't seen much in the way of good times since about mid-2008, and rates have fallen to what they were when I started doing this work 11 years ago. Lately, we've been seeing a fair number of projects with rates about another 12% below that. And the market is so shitty at the moment, I've applied for two of them. Hell, I can't even get a shitty job right now. Sounds like a lot of temps are chasing not enough jobs. Shitty jobs, at that, with low rates and no overtime. Agencies do this, of course, because they can. Those shitty projects are getting staffed. Not as quickly, maybe, as the marginally less-shitty projects that offer the current shitty market rate and no OT, but they are getting staffed. Pride goeth before the fall, bitches, and even temps gotta eat. So the crappy offers keep coming, and we keep taking them. Alas.

A sign of the times

The project I am on really sucks, and I let the agency know I would be gone at the first opportunity. The first opportunity, by definition, would be something with a higher rate, more hours and/or a longer projected duration. While I am not normally a big fan of jumping -- I had been in this business for years before I first jumped from a project -- I told the agency straight up that, because I was lied to about the hours, I had no intention of staying with this project. Much to my chagrin, despite numerous projects being posted in the last couple weeks, not a single one has met the criteria for me to jump. All have had a lower rate (just by a dollar, but that's 40 bucks a week, kids). All have also been only 40 hours. And all have had a shorter projected duration.

This causes two separate reactions in me. First, I am stunned that the market is active enough that I have seen so many projects starting up in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This usually is a really bad time of year to be looking for work, even shitty work. Second, I cannot believe I am so well and truly fucked as to be entering my third full week on this project with no prospect of getting out until after New Year's. Lord, how have I offended thee? OK, never mind that -- neither one of us really has the time to get into it.