Consult with your manager, HR Partner and Senior Business Officer (SBO) to help you determine both which type of position will best fill your needs, and what your budget will allow. Also see the list of employee definitions on the USC policy website. More information is available on the Time page of this website as well. For information on USC’s official connection to temporary labor, see the Trojan Talent Source page.

Worker typeExemption statusBenefits eligibilityHoursDuration
Full-time staffExempt or non-exemptEligible100% time at 37.5 or 40 hours per weekNo fixed end date
Fixed term full-time staffExempt or non-exemptEligible100% time at 37.5 or 40 hours per weekDefined period of time; ideal for project-based work
Part-time staffExempt or non-exemptEligible50-99% of the time, based on 37.5 or 40 hour work weekNo fixed end date
Fixed term part-time staffExempt or non-exemptEligible50-99% of the time, based on 37.5 or 40 hour work weekDefined period of time; ideal for project-based work
Contracts and grants employeesExempt or non-exemptEligible50-99% of the time, based on 37.5 or 40 hour work weekDefined period of time based on terms of contract or grant
Per diem (restricted to certain types of jobs)Non-exemptSick time onlyNo set or regular scheduleAs needed
USC student worker or CWSP (work-study) student worker (federal funds pay for part of work-study wages) – note there are work-study job fairs in the fall and spring where you can find new student employeesNon-exemptSick time onlyGenerally no more than 20 hours a week during fall and spring semesters; may work additional hours during winter, spring and summer breaksAs long as student status lasts
ResourceNon-exemptSick time onlyNo more than 1000 hours within a rolling 12-month periodWithin the 1000-hour requirement; ideal for seasonal work or when specialized skills or licensure are needed for a limited time
Temporary labor (Trojan Talent Source) hired through Business Services (see below chart for more information)Non-exemptNot eligibleNo more than 1400 hours in any consecutive 12-month periodWithin the 1400-hour requirement
Independent contractorN/ANot eligibleAs determined by the contracting partyAs determined by the project

Note that although employees hired for a defined period of time (fixed term, contracts and grants) are benefits-eligible, certain policies/procedures (e.g., layoff notice, separation pay) do not apply when the employee is notified of the fixed or contract/grant term at the time of hire. At that time, departments must notify employee of the date the position will end.