More companies adopt flexible staffing practice

YOU are a top investment bank or an IT giant and a massive project has just come your way. But your headcount has been trimmed over the years as your company tightens its belt and, in any case, the talent that you seek is not readily available.

You can't skimp on resources to throw at the project. So, you body shop.

This flexible staffing practice could really take off if the constraints on manpower stay.

What it means, simply, is this: Instead of maintaining a high headcount or working existing staff to the bone, investment banks and IT companies simply "shop for bodies" for short periods of time. They could, for example, turn to a m…