In a turn of more optimistic news, the latest figures from the Department of Labor show that temporary and part time hiring is on the rise as employers shy from bringing on permanent employees due to consumer uncertainty.<br /><br />The demand for temporary staffing and employment services has steadily risen for the past 11 months, but the latest figures from DOL show a jump in September of 28,000 new positions added in the business sector. The reported increase in part-time positions is the result of a combination of new part-time positions added by employers, and existing full-time positions that have been cut back to part-time. Part timers now represent over nine million of the US workforce.<br /><br />An uptick in temporary hiring is one of the bellweather signs of the beginning of a job recovery, as employers, unwilling to incur the expense of a permanent hire, test the waters with more flexible and cost effective temporary staffing.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm" target="new">US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics