temporary workers are rare in construction and logistics, employers are snapping them up

“The phone keeps ringing” says Gilles Cavallari, president of Samsic Emploi. In this month of January, the staff of its temporary work agencies are overwhelmed by the solicitations of companies seeking to recruit temporary workers to compensate for the absences of their employees on sick leave due to Covid-19.. “We currently have between 5% and 11% of our temporary workers who are positive cases. We try to meet at least one out of two business requests, but we can’t manage to meet them all,” notes Gilles Cavallari.

No teleworking for construction and industrial workers, sectors fond of temporary staff. On construction sites or in warehouses, employees remain on the front line in the face of the pandemic. “We have seen absenteeism rates go up to 40% in some companies, deplores Gaëtan Deffrennes, the general manager of Randstad. It’s calming down, but we still have a lot of employees who are parents of sick children who have to stay home to look after them. »

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At Adecco, the observation is more nuanced. “Although there are increased requests from our customers linked to absenteeism caused by the Covid wave of this month of January 2022, in particular in the retail and logistics sectors, we are not seeing not a spectacular “boom” of replacements, says an Adecco spokeswoman. In sectors such as construction, certain missions are postponed. As far as catering is concerned, telework being synonymous with a drop in activity, there is no boom in missions. »

From hospitality to logistics

A “communicating vessels” effect partly compensates for the shortage of personnel, notes Gaëtan Deffrennes. Employees in sectors still at half mast, such as the hotel and catering industry, do not hesitate to apply in sectors that are recruiting en masse. “Since 2020, we have seen hotel and restaurant employees turn to industry and logistics, a sector that has exploded with home delivery. They discovered schedules more compatible with family life, and they stayed. A sector that remains complicated is the construction industry. Many companies are reluctant to take on new sites. »

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The health crisis is aggravating staff shortages in logistics and construction, sectors which were already in tension before the crisis, agree to say the actors of the interim. “It takes three times longer to recruit a forklift operator or an order picker,” admits Gilles Cavallari. Like ultra-qualified tech personnel, companies are now snapping up temporary workers in the construction industry and parcel distribution platforms.

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