Temporary Staffing Costs Vary Sharply Across Nonprofit-Relevant Roles, Data Shows

As nonprofits continue navigating staffing gaps, turnover, and budget pressure, new wage analysis from altLINE by The Southern Bank suggests temporary labor should not be treated as a one-size-fits-all staffing solution.

The report, “Best Roles for Temp Workers,” analyzed the latest available U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data alongside Producer Price Index data to compare temporary-worker pay with full-time wages across major occupational fields.

For nonprofits, the findings indicate that temporary staffing may be more financially competitive in some mission-critical roles, while still lagging behind full-time pay in others.

Key findings relevant to nonprofit employers include:

• Community and social service temp workers reached wage parity.
  • From 2020 to 2024, community and social service occupations moved from temp workers earning 21% less than full-time employees to roughly equal pay.
• Healthcare support temps earned a premium.
  • Temporary workers in healthcare support occupations earned $17.81 per hour, compared with $16.04 per hour for full-time workers (roughly 10% more).
• Education and library temp roles lagged significantly.
  • Temporary workers in educational instruction and library occupations earned $15.96 per hour, compared with $27.52 per hour for full-time workers (about 42% less).
• Food preparation and serving roles slightly favored temps.
  • Temporary workers earned $14.86 per hour, compared with $14.41 per hour for full-time workers (about 3% more).
• Personal care and service roles remained close.
  • Temporary workers earned $14.78 per hour, compared with $15.22 per hour for full-time workers (about 3% less).
• Business and financial operations temp roles lost ground.
  • From 2020 to 2024, temporary workers in business and financial operations moved from earning 13% less than full-time workers to 22% less.
• Overall temp wages rose faster than temp-help pricing.
  • From 2016 to 2024, temp-worker wages rose 43%, while temporary-help industry pricing rose 29%.
• Full-time pay still led in most fields.
  • Only 4 of 22 major occupational fields paid temporary workers more than full-time workers in the latest full-year dataset.

“These findings reveal that nonprofit leaders should analyze temporary staffing outcomes by role rather than assuming it is always cheaper or always more expensive. The reality is very mixed,” said Jim Pendergast, Senior Vice President and General Manager at altLINE. “In some areas like community and social services, you are seeing wage parity, while in healthcare support, temp workers earn more than full-time staff. In other areas like education, the gap is still significant. It really depends on the job.”

The findings may be especially relevant for nonprofits that rely on temporary, seasonal, contract, or short-term support for community programs, healthcare support, education services, food programs, fundraising events, finance, administration, and direct service roles.

“What this data tells us is that temporary staffing has to be part of a more thoughtful workforce strategy. For nonprofits, the impact on budgeting and service delivery can look very different depending on the type of role you are filling. When organizations understand where temp workers align closely with full-time wages and where they do not, they can make better decisions that support both cost control and mission outcomes,” Pendergast said.

Access the “Best Roles for Temp Workers” report here.

Source: altLINE

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.