Company refuses to give a temp employee a raise, despite promoting him to a role that requires the workload of a full-time employee: 'I'm making minimum wage.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Mar 4, 2026 8:00 PM EST

If he is doing more work, he should at least have the benefits of being a full-time employee instead of a temp.

You should feel lucky if you've never had to do temp work. Those jobs are not for the faint of heart. You never feel like you're quite secure in your position, and that's because you're not. You can get fired anytime for literally any reason. You don't have the same protections and benefits as full-time employees. 

There are some benefits to working a temp job that you won't get anywhere else. You can quit whenever you want without having to worry about the bridges you've burnt. Everyone in a temp agency knows that you don't sign up for these jobs with the intention of staying there for your entire career. They're called temp jobs because they're temporary! Depending on your temp job, it might also be a lot more chill than the average workplace. It's easy not to take your job too seriously when you know the stakes are low, and if you and your coworkers are able to be chill and have fun together, then it might be one of your more enjoyable jobs! You're making a lot less money than you made when you had a full-time job, but you're getting paid weekly, so it doesn't feel like you're short on cash. You can also learn a lot about corporate culture while temping: you learn how heartless it can be. 

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  • Man in gray sweatshirt sitting on chair in front of iMac
    via Studio Republic

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The temp employee in this story has done everything he can to secure a full-time position, and he was promised one! Now he has a promotion and is doing the work of a full timer, but he's still making the same minimum wage he made when he was doing the workload of a temp.

  • My company wants to keep me as a minimum wage temp despite promoting me

    So last June I agreed to take a remote temp job in data entry. Pay was low, but it was only supposed to be for three months and I needed the work.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • I had previously worked in doc review for a law firm before being laid off the previous year.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • Well after the 3 months the company said they liked my work and after looking over my resume wanted to offer to extend my contract and switch me over to document review since their current staff member was leaving.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • I went from being a part of the temp group to being the solo doc review specialist, a position I was previously being paid almost twice what I'm earning now.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • However, since I was still on contract through the agency I was getting paid the same amount.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • I talked with the agency and they said that the company was going to officially bring me into the permanent position after the contract ended in January of this year.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • January came and I heard nothing. February I checked in again with the agency and they said I should wait for the new budget approval in March.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • Well the other day I checked in with my manager at the company and he said they have no intention of offering me a permanent position, but want to keep extending my contract indefinitely with the agency.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • So I'm currently working a higher up job than I was brought in for, but being paid as if I'm still working the original job.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • It's like I was promoted but not given a raise. Instead I'm just being bounced between the agency and the company with conflicting information and nobody cares that my work is being undervalued.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • I'm ped off. I've been struggling 9 months hoping this job was going somewhere, that I could expect to reach a position similar to what I had in 2024.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • A manager looking dubiously at an employee in front of a brick wall
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Instead I feel like I've been conned.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • Mosstheboy The agency lied to you and that company you work for are frankly having a laugh. Move elsewhere if you can. Nobody in this set-up are even pretending to treat you well. Any point in issuing an ultimatum (politely)?
    via u/Mosstheboy
  • Jimmyg100 Original Poster's Reply The company says there's nothing they can do because it's the agency that pays me. I basically told the agency they need to get me more money for this job or I'm going to be looking elsewhere.
    via u/Jimmyg100
  • bobguy117 You feel like you were conned because you were conned.
    via u/bobguy117
  • Mullinore Those employment agencies skimming money off the top of your cheques, and enabling employers to exploit workers in the way you are being exploited should be illegal. Period. They are a prime example of the bulls They add no real value. economy. for I, and many friends of mine, suffered through that bulls years. So I feel for you and understand how you feel completely. Those agencies are basically a way for employers to skirt employment laws and doing right by their employees such as pa
    via u/Mullinore
  • Adventurous-Depth984 If you're making minimum wage, you can literally get that anywhere. Don't put up with anything when you've got nothing to lose
    via u/Adventurous-Depth984
  • illtakeachinchilla OP shouldn't bother with niceties. Sign an offer elsewhere and move on. They shouldn't have continued showing up after the first week in February when the pay hadn't been updated.
    via u/illtakeachinchilla
  • Businessman in a dark suit sitting at a table with his laptop, signing a document
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • One_Friend_2575 If they've already said they have no intention of making you permanent and want to keep extending the temp contract, that's a pretty clear signal. Companies do this a lot because it's cheaper and gives them flexibility. At this point the best move is probably to treat this as experience and start looking elsewhere. You can now say you're the doc review specialist handling the function solo, which is a stronger role than what you were originally hired for.
    via u/One_Friend_2575
  • AngelaVNO Thing is, the Agency could also be getting more money if OP got a raise, so they should be on your side.
    via u/AngelaVNO
  • Significant_Recipe64 never take the temp agency's word for it. the recruiter gets commission for each hour you work so they want you to stay in the post as long as possible. unscrupulous recruiters will lie to keep you there so they can make their bag. unless u really really really trust your recruiter, you have to understand the position you're in. you're a money making resource to them
    via u/Significant_Recipe64

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employee work temp raise minimum wage contract workplace payment company full time
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