Temp vs Permanent Hire: Four Questions to Help You Decide

One of the most common questions employers ask is straightforward:

“Do we really need a permanent hire here, or should we bring someone in on a temporary basis?”

You don’t need a complex model to answer that. A few clear questions will usually tell you whether a role should be permanent or temporary.

At TDS Personnel, we generally lean toward permanent hires for core office and administrative roles. Temporary staff absolutely have their place, especially for defined gaps or uncertain periods. But when a position is part of your long-term structure, a stable, committed employee almost always delivers better value over time. As a long-standing recruitment agency in Toronto, we see this play out across many different workplaces.

Below are four simple questions to help you decide what makes sense for your team.

1. Will this role still matter 12–18 months from now?

Before you look at cost or timelines, start with the big-picture question:

“Will this role still be essential a year from now?”

If the answer is yes, you’re probably looking at a permanent hire. If the role exists because of a specific project, a leave, or a short-term spike in work, a temporary solution might be enough.

Many employers initially lean toward temporary because the need feels urgent. But urgency doesn’t necessarily mean the role is short-term. Often, the work is ongoing, and the “temporary” label is more about short-term pressure than reality. Being honest about your time horizon is the first step to making the right call.

2. How clearly defined is the role today?

The next question is about clarity. Do you know what this person will do day to day, who they will support, and how you’ll measure success?

When a role is well defined, it’s usually worth hiring permanently. You can write a clear posting, attract the right profile, and set someone up to grow in the role. If you’re still shaping the job, this guide may help: job description tips that attract the right talent.

If the role is still evolving—maybe you’re restructuring a team or testing a new support model—a temporary hire can give you breathing room. You can observe what the workload actually looks like, refine the responsibilities, and then invest in a permanent hire once you know exactly what you need.

The key is to be honest: is the role truly undefined, or do you simply need to sit down and document what’s already happening?

3. How urgent is your timeline?

Speed matters, but it shouldn’t be the only factor.

If a key team member leaves unexpectedly, or a busy season hits faster than you anticipated, the instinct is often to “plug the hole” with a temp. That can be the right move if you genuinely don’t have time to run a full search. Bringing in a temporary staff member through a trusted temporary staffing agency in Toronto can stabilize the workload while you plan your longer-term approach.

At the same time, rushing almost always increases the risk of getting the hire wrong—especially if the role is actually permanent. In many situations, employers use a blended approach: a temp for short-term relief, paired with a more deliberate permanent search behind the scenes.

If you do have a bit of runway, it’s worth using it. A structured process gives you room to avoid common hiring mistakes that can cost far more than an extra few weeks of recruiting.

4. What happens if you don’t get this hire right?

Finally, think about impact. Not every mis-hire carries the same weight.

If the role supports senior leaders, interacts with clients, or sits at the centre of your operations, getting it wrong can be disruptive and expensive. In those cases, a well-run permanent search is usually the better strategy. You can take time to ask deeper interview questions, explore working styles, and test for judgment and communication—not just technical skills. Resources like questions to ask administrative candidates can help you structure those conversations.

For roles that are more task-based, narrow in scope, and genuinely short-term, the risk of a mis-hire is lower. That’s where temporary solutions can make financial and operational sense.

The question isn’t “Can we fill this quickly?” It’s “What happens if we fill this quickly with the wrong person?”

Why permanent usually wins for core roles

For roles that sit at the heart of your team, permanent hires typically create more value over time. A permanent employee builds relationships, understands your decision-making rhythms, and develops institutional knowledge that you simply don’t get with a revolving door of temporary staff.

Permanent hires are also more likely to think ahead. They notice patterns, improve processes, and invest in the team’s success because they know they’re part of the long-term picture. That kind of ownership is hard to create in a short-term arrangement.

As a Toronto recruitment agency, we see that employers are usually happiest when they make a clear, confident decision to hire permanently for core roles—and then support that decision with a strong search process.

When temporary still makes sense

Temporary hiring still has an important place, especially when:

• You are covering a clearly defined leave
• Work is tied to a specific project with an end date
• The team is in transition and the structure isn’t settled yet
  

In these scenarios, working with a temporary staffing agency gives you access to pre-vetted talent and flexibility without committing to long-term headcount.

The key is to use temporary support intentionally, not by default.

How TDS Personnel helps you choose—and hire well

You don’t have to resolve the temp-versus-permanent question on your own. When you come to TDS Personnel, we start by understanding the real context around the role: how long you’ll need it, how defined it is, how urgent your timeline is, and how critical it is to get it right.

From there, we help you decide which structure truly fits. And whichever route you choose, you’re not left sorting through dozens of random applications. TDS Personnel provides a carefully curated shortlist of candidates, often including people who are not actively on the open market but are open to the right opportunity.

That’s where the real advantage lies: a small, targeted group of well-matched candidates, and a hiring decision that supports your team not just this month, but in the years ahead.