Temporary employees, also known as “temps”, are hired on a fixed-term basis for an agreed period of time, either with an end date or until the completion of a specific project.
Temporary employees are often brought in to provide additional assistance during particularly busy periods — for example, at Christmas or during summer in retail and hospitality — or to provide cover during periods of planned staff absence, such as maternity leave.
Temporary employees are sometimes also called contractual employees, interim staff, seasonal staff, casual staff. It’s not unheard of for staff who join businesses as temporary staff to be offered permanent roles at the end of their contracts, due to the fact that they pick up useful skills and experience during their tenure, making them more attractive to employers than new hires.