As someone who was just let go for a contract position because my project got shut down due to the recession, and was looking for new work. A significant amount of positions in general seem to be turning into contract work.
The fact that companies are allowed to hold massive amounts of contractors sometimes 1:1 or 2:1 ratios is not healthy for anyone but the companies bottom line.
It creates an incredibly unstable work environment, and massive future uncertainty.
If they let you go you're put out flat on your butt. And in some states without the ability to file for unemployment.
It seems insane to me that regulations haven't started to be set to contact this type of employer predatory behavior.
I was in meeting where my boss would say we could hire contractors on the fly (not cheap ones) with little to no care, but there was no way our legal team would allow direct hires.
It seems like contract work is just the new way to do internships, but it's even worse.