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per diem is great if you have a spouse and you can sign up under their health plan. But the downside is you don't a 401k match or anything, so you'll want to take that extra $$ and save it by opening a Roth and then a traditional IRA.
It'd be great if you have an existing pension already and decide to go to work.
So yeah...those are things to think about when considering per diem positions on a long term basis.
During our career fair I talked to a rep from a per diem staffing company and learned some interesting things. Note* (this may obviously vary from company to company and between different per diem positions)
-pay rate was usually about $10/hr above what the f/t pay would be
-benefits such as health coverage and I believe 401k were available if you logged enough days out of the year with the per diem company
-extra bonuses were available for working for them f/t or close to it
I'm not planning to go this route, but per diem might be a good way to sample what its like to work at different places and is often times a way to get your foot in the door for getting a f/t job at a site you'd like.