“Day labor companies exploit their workers and don’t pay them enough.” “Day labor companies hire unskilled workers and aren’t worth the cost.”
“I can get better pay working directly for a company instead of working through an agency.”
“Day laborers steal jobs.”
At Redcap Staffing, we’ve heard them all. A casual perusal of our Facebook Page will quickly find some of these type of comments posted without much verifiable fact checking behind them. While it should never be the intention of a day labor company to dismiss these often believed myths, it would represent a welcomed opportunity to discuss openly what function a day labor company does serve. Let’s explore some of these misconceptions.
“Day labor companies exploit their workers and don’t pay them enough”
Let’s bust this myth right out of the gate. Day labor companies are short term employment solutions that are offered to other companies seeking workers without the need of those companies investing time and resources to recruit, hire, train, or offer permanent schedules to workers who may only be needed for a brief period of time. Companies seeking a temporary work force reduce their time seeking candidates for projects by simply outsourcing these workers through a company who has already done their due diligence in hiring, training, and onboarding people with relevant work skills. Workers of day labor companies enjoy the freedom to work various assignments and an opportunity to earn money quickly without having to wait an entire pay cycle to be rewarded for their efforts. At RedCap Staffing, for example, workers can “Work Today, and Get Paid Tomorrow”.
““Day labor companies hire unskilled workers and aren’t worth the cost ”
While it is true that day labor companies hire workers with limited or specialized working skills, employees of these companies are always matched with assignments where they can be successful using their existing skill sets. Often, the assignment of a variety of jobs enables workers to gain the much needed experience and on-the-job training necessary for those workers to seek more permanent employment. As a result, workers can then utilize their new set of skills in exchange for higher wages and company benefits.
“I can get better pay working directly for a company instead of working through an agency.”
A Day Labor company IS a temporary work agency. It also serves as an intermediary between employers and employees. Day labor business models are built around the concept that temporary workers are often needed by employers to fulfill a working need to complete large projects which have an estimated date of completion. When the project is completed, the need for the additional worker resources are no longer required. Does that mean that the day laborer is out of a job? On the contrary. Another job awaits them through their agency. Consider this, however, companies also use day labor forces to determine whether they need permanent and capable workers to fill roles the company will eventually need to fill. In this instance, the day laborer has had an opportunity to showcase their abilities to this potential employer, which makes their transition from temporary employee to a permanent one, a much smoother one. It is not rare that a company chooses to offer positions to temporary workers based on their performance and quality of work.
“Day laborers steal jobs.”
In an online article on the Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project’s website, blogger, Marvin Peña, writes:
“Day laborers don’t steal jobs, on the contrary, they form their own economy! Day laborers are hired for temporary manual labor jobs that no other workers fill. For many homeowners or small businesses, it only takes a day or a weekend to finish up a project. Day laborers are the perfect employees for these jobs.
In some ways, day laborers are the original gig economy workers. Like ride-share drivers or food delivery service drivers, day laborers make up part of the informal economy that is becoming a larger and more significant part of the job market.”
Day labor companies have a purpose. For those seeking work and wishing to broaden their working skill opportunities, day labor companies can serve as a springboard for greater and more lucrative employment options.
-Omar Tarango is a Freelance Blogger and Social Media Manager-