Over four-in-ten staffing firms report gains in new assignments
Staffing employment inched up in the week of Nov. 13-19, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing by 0.8% to a rounded value of 100. Staffing companies listed no one primary factor that limited further growth. Staffing jobs were 7.3% below the same week last year.
New starts in the 46th week of the year jumped 11.8% from the prior week. Over four-in-10 staffing companies (43%) reported gains in new assignments week to week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average decreased from the prior week to hold at a rounded value of 100, and temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Nov. 19 was 7.6% lower than the same period in 2022.
“Staffing employment has held steady in November, with no significant dips or fluctuations from the prior month” said Tim Hulley, assistant research director at ASA.
This week will be used in the November monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Dec. 8.
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.
