What is the purpose (in the business world) of temp agencies like Kelly Services?

I really cannot figure out why these agencies exist except to screw over workers by forcing them to be "flexible" and basically to allow companies to have a qualified workforce at its disposal 24 hours a day, to hell with the *workers'* job security or benefits.

I ask because, in the area of the Midwest where I live (a town of about 60,000), there's just a glut of job hiring through temp agencies, but considerably less direct hiring. Temp agencies are allowed to list their jobs over and over on state-sponsored job-listing websites, which makes it difficult to search for or find REAL job listings.

Yes, they expect agency employees to be flexible, they pay a better hourly rate then a staff employee would make. Usually they only call upon supplemental help when they are short staffed. I think it is rather clever myself.

Same here we have State Farm and i swear the only jobs they offer are through a temp service

That attitude!

Temp agencies serve a very useful purpose. Many people don't want the commitment of full time employment. And many employers feel the same about their employee needs. Temp agencies help bring those two groups together. It's a win-win situation.

People seeking full-time employment would not go to a temp agency unless they want to try out a position and a company before seeking a full time position there. Again, win-win.

So straighten up and fly right.

The purpose is to offer work force for the company.

I don't have a true answer to your question, but I do know that Kelly Services helped me out. They hired me to work for Charter Communications. I was under Kelly Services for about three months and then Charter hired me as one of their Full-time Employees with benefits. The bad thing about working for a Temp Agency is that the company you are working for does not count your employment in which you worked under the Temp Agency. In simpliest terms, I should have been awarded no less than 6 weeks Maternity leave when I worked for Charter but was denied that because I hadn't worked for Charter for a year, when in actuality I did; it was just that I worked some of those hours under Kelly Services.
But I do have to say, after all the temp agencies I tried Kelly Services was the first agency to actually offer me a job.