Annual closing to wrap up, surprise audit, sudden replacement of a key employee, unforeseen growth in activity... In finance and accounting, the need for reinforcements often arrives at the worst possible time.
In these situations, permanent recruitment is neither suitable nor viable. This is precisely where temporary work comes in: a solution that allows you to respond immediately to fluctuations in activity without long-term commitment.
What you will discover in this guide:
- Why temporary recruitment is necessary when facing peak activity.
- The concrete and measurable advantages of temporary work.
- How to effectively recruit a finance expert for a temporary assignment.
- The key differences between temporary and permanent recruitment.
- The step-by-step recruitment process.
Whether you are a CFO, accounting manager, or SME director in French-speaking Switzerland, this guide is for you.
Why Recruit a Temporary Finance Expert During Peak Periods?
The Temporary Labour Market in Switzerland
Temporary work occupies a significant place in the Swiss economy. According to SwissStaffing, Swiss companies employ approximately 245,000 temporary workers annually.
The temporary work sector recorded a slight decline in employment in the second quarter of 2024 according to data from the KOF Swiss Economic Institute. However, the temporary labour market is down 4.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the Swiss Staffingindex from SwissStaffing.
Despite these fluctuations, employment service providers help people who have lost their jobs quickly reintegrate into the workforce. The industry is an early indicator of a potential economic recovery (SwissStaffing, 2024).
Situations That Justify Temporary Recruitment in Finance
Companies use temporary employment contracts for specific needs related to qualifications or business development. Here are the most frequent situations:
- Absence Replacement: An employee on sick leave, maternity leave, unexpected departure, or training: the accounting department cannot stop. Temp work ensures continuity without disruption.
- Predictable Peak Activity: Annual closing, tax declarations, external audits are periods where the workload temporarily explodes. According to accounting temp sources, nearly 80% of companies use temporary workers at some point to cope with peak activity.
- Specific Fixed-Term Projects: Migration to a new accounting system, due diligence for an acquisition, regulatory compliance: these projects require specific skills for a limited period.
- Trial Before Permanent Hiring: Temporary recruitment offers a secure framework to evaluate a candidate before making a long-term commitment. You can test their skills and see if they fit your culture (Randstad Canada).
The Importance of Financial Management During Critical Periods
Neglecting the continuity of financial management during a peak period can be costly. Direct consequences include:
- Billing delays: Immediate impact on cash flow.
- Regulatory non-compliance: Potential fines and penalties.
- Accounting errors: Costly and time-consuming corrections.
- Team overload: Burnout and increased risk of errors.
A carefully chosen temporary expert maintains service quality and avoids these pitfalls.
Measurable Benefits of Temporary Recruitment in Finance
1. Maximum Operational Flexibility
Hiring a temporary worker offers many advantages. Temporary workers can start almost immediately, are cost-effective, and are very easy to hire (Michael Page).
One of the most significant advantages of hiring temporary employees is the flexibility it offers companies. Organizations can quickly adjust their staffing levels, ensuring they can meet changing business needs without the long-term commitment associated with permanent hires.
- Rapid adaptation to fluctuations: Temporary workforce allows companies to respond immediately to changes in their activity, without long-term commitment.
- Variable duration: Accounting temporary assignments can vary from several weeks to 18 months (Finance Recrutement).
2. Significant Cost Reduction
Using a temporary worker is much more advantageous than creating a fixed-term or permanent position. When resorting to temp work, the Temporary Work Agency (TWA) bears the direct and indirect costs of hiring, as well as the employer's social contributions (Factorial, 2025).
Concrete savings:
- Permanent recruitment incurs hidden costs such as health insurance, social benefits, and paid leave. Temporary recruitment alleviates this burden by stabilizing fixed payroll costs (Randstad Canada).
- Savings on recruitment: Using temporary work avoids the high costs of a complete recruitment process (ads, interviews, training), while benefiting from qualified employees.
- Billing by usage: Unlike employee salaries which must be paid monthly, temporary work costs are settled upon invoicing (Staffmatch). Only hours actually worked are billed.
- Non-inclusion in headcount: The temporary employee is not included in the company's workforce. This avoids triggering certain obligations that apply starting from a certain number of employees (Tironem, 2019).
3. Access to Specialized Skills
Many temporary workers have specific skills and are perfect for short-term assignments (Michael Page).
Temp agencies maintain a large database with diverse and varied profiles, thanks to a constant reception of new applications (Staffmatch).
- Immediate specialized expertise: Need a specialist in IFRS standards, consolidation, or international taxation? Specialized agencies have these rare profiles.
- Sectors covered in finance: General and auxiliary accounting, Management control, Treasury, Audit and consolidation, Payroll and personnel administration, Corporate finance.
4. Considerable Time Savings
Recruiting an employee takes time. Writing and distributing the ad, selecting profiles, interviews, administrative formalities: all of this is lengthy and can represent significant costs. The temp agency gives this time back to companies (Staffmatch).
- Accelerated process: Start of assignment: 1–2 weeks maximum. Versus 4 to 12 weeks on average for permanent recruitment.
5. Complete Administrative Relief
The temp agency manages all administrative formalities related to hiring the temporary worker. This includes:
- Drafting the employment contract.
- Management of payroll and social contributions.
- Mandatory declarations.
- Insurance and contributions.
- Management of absences and replacements.
The user company only has one invoice to pay, significantly simplifying its management (Factorial, 2025).
6. Security and Guarantees
- Automatic replacement: If the candidate is not suitable after a period, the user company can request their replacement. If the temporary worker does not show up, the agency provides a new trained and qualified temporary worker. Absent hours are not billed (Staffmatch).
- Flexibility period: Under a temporary contract, it is possible to bring forward or postpone the mission's deadline by 1 day for every 5 days worked, without exceeding 10 days, without needing an amendment to the contract (Tironem, 2019).
How to Effectively Recruit a Temporary Finance Expert?
Step 1: Precisely Define the Need
Before contacting an agency, clarify your need:
- Questions to ask: What is the exact mission? What technical skills are essential? What accounting software must they master (SAP, Oracle, Sage, Abacus...)? What autonomy is required? What is the mission duration? What is the hourly volume?
Step 2: Choose the Right Recruitment Partner
Not all agencies are equal. Prioritize firms specializing in finance and accounting.
- Selection criteria: Sector specialization, Technical expertise, Reactivity (ability to propose profiles within 48–72h maximum), Support throughout the mission.
Step 3: Evaluate the Proposed Candidates
The agency pre-selects, but you must validate.
- Key focus points during the interview:Verification of technical skills: Test on concrete cases (e.g., "How do you manage a cash difference?" or "Explain a complex bank reconciliation"). Validate mastery of tools (ask for specific examples of achievements).Autonomy and adaptation: "Tell me about a situation where you had to adapt quickly." "How do you manage priorities when everything is urgent?"Availability and flexibility: Confirm the start date. Check availability for overtime if necessary.
- Verification of technical skills: Test on concrete cases (e.g., "How do you manage a cash difference?" or "Explain a complex bank reconciliation"). Validate mastery of tools (ask for specific examples of achievements).
- Autonomy and adaptation: "Tell me about a situation where you had to adapt quickly." "How do you manage priorities when everything is urgent?"
- Availability and flexibility: Confirm the start date. Check availability for overtime if necessary.
Step 4: Effectively Integrate the Temporary Worker
A well-integrated temporary worker is operational faster.
- Crucial first day: Presentation of the team, Access to tools and software (prepared in advance), Full brief on priorities, Designation of an internal reference person.
- First week: Daily check-in for the first 3 days, Validation of the good understanding of processes, Adjustments if necessary.
Step 5: Follow-Up and Evaluate
- Regular follow-up: Weekly check-in with the temporary worker, Feedback to the agency in case of problems, Mid-mission evaluation if duration > 3 months.
- Possibility of conversion to permanent contract: If the temporary worker is perfectly suitable, most agencies offer clauses for converting the temporary contract into a permanent one.
Temporary vs. Permanent Recruitment: The Complete Comparison
| Criterion | Temporary Recruitment | Permanent Recruitment |
| Availability Time | 1–2 weeks | 4–12 weeks |
| Total Cost over 3 months | Lower (no employer social contributions) | Higher (salary + contributions + recruitment costs) |
| Flexibility | Maximum (termination possible with short notice) | Limited (trial period, then legal notice) |
| Administrative Management | Agency (no charge for the company) | Company (HR, payroll, declarations) |
| Skills | Specialized, immediately available | Variable depending on available candidates |
| Commitment | None (fixed-duration assignment) | Long-term (high exit costs) |
| Inclusion in Headcount | No (does not count in the workforce) | Yes (triggers legal obligations) |
| Replacement | Automatic and guaranteed by the agency | Complete process to restart |
When to Prioritize Temp Work?
Temporary recruitment is ideal if:
- The duration of the need is determined (< 18 months).
- You need an immediate start.
- The budget is constrained.
- You want to trial before hiring permanently.
- Administrative burden must be minimal.
- The need is seasonal or cyclical.
When to Prioritize Permanent Hiring?
Permanent recruitment is preferable if:
- The position is strategic and long-term.
- You need an investment in company culture.
- Recruitment time is not critical.
- You are looking to build a stable team.
- Skills must be internalized long-term.
Specificities of Temporary Recruitment in Switzerland
Legal and Regulatory Framework
In Switzerland, approximately 800 placement agencies are active. These companies are very often specialized by sector of activity (Travailler-en-Suisse.ch, 2021).
- Legal obligations: Mandatory authorization for service leasing (SECO), Applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCT), Mandatory accident insurance (SUVA for temp agencies).
- Temporary workers benefit from the same rights as permanent employees, including access to social security, paid leave (Connectt.fr, 2024).
Swiss Particularities
- Profile of temporary workers in Switzerland: Temporary workers are proportionally younger: slightly more than 60% are under 39, compared to 45% for the entire active population. 74% of temporary workers in Switzerland are foreigners (Travailler-en-Suisse.ch, 2021).
- Remuneration: The salary for temporary jobs depends on the sector of activity and is governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCT) or corresponding directives (Emploi-en-Suisse.ch).
Managing the Risks of Temporary Recruitment
Potential Risks
Although temporary recruitment offers many advantages, some risks must be anticipated:
- Turnover of temporary workers: A temp worker may accept a permanent position elsewhere before the end of your contract.
- Adaptation time: Every newcomer requires integration time.
- Confidentiality: An external person has access to sensitive data.
- Dependence on the agency: If you become too accustomed to temp workers, you risk no longer being able to recruit internally.
Best Practices to Minimize Risks
- Clear contractualisation: Precisely define the mission scope, specify measurable objectives, provide for early termination procedures.
- Structured follow-up: Regular check-ins (weekly minimum), transparent reporting on progress, continuous feedback to the agency.
- Documentation: Written and accessible procedures, formalized handover at the end of the assignment, knowledge capitalization.
Temp Finance, a Strategic Solution
Temporary recruitment in finance is no longer a stopgap solution. It has become a strategic lever for human resources management.
The benefits are measurable: Cost reduction of 20 to 40% vs. permanent recruitment, Availability time divided by 3 to 6, Maximum flexibility without long-term commitment, Access to rare skills immediately available.
