Mich. It's her other job, a labor of love for the longtime boat enthusiast and her husband, Don. Harper's lifestyle makes her a perfect candidate for temporary employment, an occupational category growing at an 11 percent annual rate since the mid-1990s. She's in a good place to take advantage of the alternative work arrangement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Hillsborough behind only the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Dallas in the number of people employed in help-supply services firms.
Local economists say the overall number is a reflection of Tampa Bay's service-oriented work force.
The American Staffing Association counts more than 30 member firms in Tampa Bay. AND THE AREA is home to two big publicly traded staffing companies - both of which are emerging from significant strategic overhauls. No. 17 among public U.S. staffing firms. The Tampa company was known as Romac International for nearly four decades before it embraced the Internet revolution last year. The company felt the retooling was radical enough to require a name change, and it backed up the new image with a multimillion marketing barrage - including a pricey Super Bowl ad.