Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 522
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 522 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 522
READING PASSAGE – 1
Would Your Business Benefit from Temporary Help?
You may just find that this hiring arrangement is something that is well-suited for your business right now.
1. Enables your business to adjust more easily and quickly to workload fluctuations
Temporary help agencies can quickly provide your business with qualified staff. Some common reasons companies hire temps:
– Employee absences: illness, vacation, maternity or disability leave, sudden departure
– Unexpected or temporary demands: special projects, seasonal or peak periods, employee shortages
IELTS General Reading Test
2. Maintains staffing flexibility
With the popularity of flexible work arrangements, employers need to stay current with the needs of today’s work force. Representative Denise Ridenour of renowned Kelly Services foresees that “the employment pool will increasingly include a mix of temporary and full-time employees. The result is a more efficient workplace, a more flexible job market, and greater opportunities for both employers and employees. Additionally, improving productivity enhances a company’s bottom line and employee job security.”
3. Can evaluate worker without commitment
Based on your evaluation or preferences, you can employ a temp for a designated short term or, if desired, offer a full-time position to a worker who suits your business. Some businesses employ temporary workers as an excellent and cost-efficient way to recruit and test the abilities of their new workers before signing them on full-time. Other companies will repeatedly use the services of a temp worker who has proven to be a company asset. Hiring a temp can also be a good way to continue getting work done while you search for the perfect candidate for a particular job.
IELTS General Reading Test
4. Can save time and money
The cost of hiring temp workers is often cheaper than the cost of hiring permanent employees with benefits. In the short term, it is generally more cost-efficient to hire a temp. For jobs that are expected to last six months or longer, it may be better to hire a full-time employee.
When you employ an agency, it – not you – becomes the temp worker’s employer. The agency is responsible for and bears the financial burden of recruiting, screening, testing, and hiring workers; payroll expenses and paperwork; payroll and withholding taxes; unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance; and any employee benefits they may wish to provide.
IELTS General Reading Test
5. Temporary employees can provide specialized skills to all types of industries
Temporary help agency workers are now employed in virtually every industry. Today, temporary workers increasingly include highly skilled individuals with a wide range of educational backgrounds and work experience. These individuals can deal with critical one-time projects that are limited in time and scope. In the field of law alone, recent years have seen a dramatic growth and acceptance of hiring lawyers on a temporary basis.
Questions 1 – 8
Read the statements below. In boxes 1–8 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE – If the statement agrees information
FALSE – If the statement contradicts information
NOT GIVEN – If the information is not given in the passage.
IELTS General Reading Test
1. If an employee quits the company due to his or her illness or childbirth, it is a suitable time to employ a temporary worker.
2. A mix of temporary and full-time employees contributes to the flexible job market and enhances productivity in the company.
3. Some employers hire temporary workers to test their abilities before recruiting them as regular workers.
4. Productivity in the workplace is most enhanced when the rate of temporary workers is less than half of the total workers.
5. Companies can spend longer time until they choose the best worker if they hire temporary workers.
6. Despite the fact that it is cost-cutting to hire a temporary worker, there are some cases where hiring a full-time employee can be profitable.
7. The workers belonging to the temporary help agency are exempted from paying taxes.
8. Companies always seek temporary workers for lower-skilled positions.
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer questions 9-14.
Working Hour Time Limits
The legislation states that you cannot work for more than 48 hours per week, which is normally measured over a 17-week “reference period.”
However, this 17-week reference period can be amended under certain circumstances:
– If there is a valid workforce agreement in place, the reference period can be extended up to a maximum of 52 weeks.
IELTS General Reading Test
– Workers can have a 26-week reference period if they live far from their workplace (e.g. offshore workers) or if they work in security or surveillance that requires a permanent presence.
– If you are on a contract for a fixed period that is under the 17- or 26-week reference period (whichever your employer is using), your reference period for calculating your working hours will be the actual length of your contract.
– This 48-hour per week limit also applies if you have more than one job, i.e. the total amount of combined working hours you do should not exceed 48 per week. If it does, each employer should ask you to sign an Opt-Out.
IELTS General Reading Test
– Young Workers (those under 18 but over school-leaving age) cannot normally work more than 8 hours per day (40 hours per week), and they cannot Opt-Out of these limits or have their hours averaged out.
– The reference period takes into account any statutory holidays, sick leave, and maternity/paternity/adoption/parental leave. The reference period is extended by the number of days on any of the above.
– There are different rules for workers in air, sea, and road transport. Domestic servants employed in a private house are generally excluded from weekly hour limits. Those who have unmeasured working time are exempt from the weekly working hour limits.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 9 – 14
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS from the text for each answer.
9. How many working hours per week is normally allowed by the law?
10. What is the maximum reference period which can be extended if there is a workforce agreement?
11. What is the reference period if an employee needs to be present all the time?
12. What are workers required to sign when they work more than 48 hours per week?
13. How many working hours a day are allowed for a 17-year-old boy?
14. Apart from workers in air, sea, and road transport, what type of worker is excluded from weekly working hour limits?
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. FALSE
4. NOT GIVEN
5. TRUE
6. TRUE
7. NOT GIVEN
8. FALSE
9. 48 HOURS
10. 52 WEEKS
11. 26-WEEK(S)
12. AN OPT-OUT
13. 8 HOURS
14. DOMESTIC SERVANT(S)
IELTS General Reading Test