The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its January Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary. This month’s report showed the number of job openings decreased from an upwardly revised 11.2 million in December to 10.8 million in January, representing a 410,000 decline from last month. The job openings rate also dropped from 6.7% in December to 6.5% in January.

Nearly two decades ago, more employers started requiring college degrees for positions that previously did not require one, even though the duties and responsibilities for those jobs did not change. Advancements in technology changed the nature of many positions. While the competencies required to perform those jobs also changed, many job titles did not.

Temporary-to-permanent hiring, also known as temp-to-hire or temp-to-perm hiring, can be a successful talent acquisition strategy for employers, especially when they’re experiencing labor difficulties. It allows employers to hire workers on a temporary basis without committing to permanent employment, thus reducing the risk of poor hiring decisions.