Staffing employment was steady in the week of Nov. 7–13, edging up 0.3% to hold at a rounded value of 108. Staffing companies mentioned several factors—including conversions of temporary workers to permanent, a holiday, and seasonal business fluctuations—as barriers preventing further growth. Staffing jobs were up 0.5% from the same week last year.
New starts rose in the 45th week of the year, increasing by 1% from the prior week. Nearly four in 10 staffing companies (39%) reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average edged up from the prior week to hold at a rounded value of 108, as temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Nov. 13 was 1.3% higher than the same period in 2021.
“Staffing employment remains slightly above the level seen at this time in 2021, though the gap has narrowed in recent weeks,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month will be used in the November monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Dec. 2.
The ASA Staffing Index is reported nine days after each workweek, making it a near real-time measure of staffing employment trends. ASA Staffing Starts are the number of temporary and contract employees placed in new assignments during the reporting week. ASA research shows that staffing employment has historically been a coincident economic indicator.
