On one of my previous trips abroad I found myself job-hunting for a couple of weeks longer than what I had intended. My budget started to run tight and not wanting to have to return home early I decided to register for some temp work. I was working within a week. It was not my all-time ideal job, not a big career move, but a job nonetheless. I stuck with it for about a month before my phone started to ring with other offers and not long after that I was in a role which was more beneficial to my cv and lead eventually to an offer for more permanent residency sponsorship (hard enought to come by) which I turned down in the end.
Those job-seekers who meet an employer half way will be the ones who will have continuous work throughout these more challenging economic times. Companies will always need some staff no matter what. They may be more cautious now about handing out permanent contracts, but they will nonetheless reward a candidate with proven initiative and a hunger to achieve. While as a job-seeker you may not want to appear desperate, you should at least hint that you are prepared to start on a temporary contract if that would help your case. It might be no harm also to indicate this to any recruitment agency you are registering with. It could be the difference between your getting called for interview or not.