Interns are temporary employees who join a company to gain exposure to a given industry and firm. They are often undergraduate, law, business or graduate students in their penultimate year of study. Some firms assign interns the same work as full-time employees, bringing them on as short-term team members. Others instead assign a specific project or task that can be completed before the intern departs. Demand for interns is tied to economic conditions, since they are often the first position cut during a downturn. Over time, demand for interns is projected to remain steady.