Temporary legal staffing is the most consistently fast growing segment of the contingent workforce in the United States and is largely driven by merger and acquisition activity and litigation-related work, according to a new report by Staffing Industry Analysts, the premier provider of market intelligence about the contingent workforce.  While anticipated to slow from a compounded annual growth rate of 16.1 percent from 1997 to 2005, temporary legal staffing is expected to increase substantially faster than temporary help as a whole over the next decade. 

Report highlights include:

• Over the next decade, volume demand is expected to grow annually by 6% for paralegals and legal assistants, 5% for lawyers, and 4.6% for legal secretaries. Lawyers, paralegals and legal secretaries make up roughly 85% of the temporary legal workforce. Of these, the fastest growing occupation is paralegals.
• Temporary legal staffing remains concentrated in the 25 largest metropolitan areas, as well as state capitals. Overall, one in six legal jobs are located in just two cities: New York City and Washington D.C. New York City accounts for 10.4% of all legal employment and Washington D.C. 5.7%.
• The top 10 cities with the highest ratio of legal employment to total employment are the Washington D.C. area, 2.1%; Tallahassee, FL, 1.9%; the Trenton, NJ area, 1.4%; Carson City, Nevada, 1.3%; the New York metro area, 1.3%; Charleston, WV, 1.3%; the West Palm Beach, FL area, 1.3%; the Baltimore, MD area, 1.2%; the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, 1.2% and the Albany, NY metro area, 1.2%.
• The vast majority of legal employment -- 84% -- is in just two industries: legal services and public administration. The next largest employer of legal talent is the finance and insurance sector.
• Approximately one-third of all temporary legal work is for M&A activity, which typically increases during a strong economy. The remaining two-thirds of legal temporary staffing revenue is derived from litigation and other work.
• Six staffing companies together accounted for 35% of the $1.5 billion market for temporary legal help. In order they are, MPS Group, Jacksonville, FL; Update Legal, New York, NY; Hudson Highland Group, Inc., New York, NY; Adecco SA, Cheserex, Switzerland; Spherion Corp., Fl. Lauderdale, FL; Robert Half International, Menlo Park, CA.

About Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. is the premier research and analysis firm covering the contingent workforce. Known for its independent and objective insights, the company's proprietary research, data, support tools, publications, and executive conferences provide a competitive edge to decision-makers who supply and buy temporary staffing. In addition to temporary staffing, Staffing Industry Analysts also covers these related staffing service sectors: search, outplacement, and staff leasing (PEOs). Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Los Altos, California. For more information, visit www.staffingindustry.com

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc.

Source: PRNewswire

Tags: Legal Staffing | Temp-to-Perm | Temporary