Staffing employment held steady in the week of Oct. 10–16, inching up 0.1% 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 2.8% from the same week last year.
New starts fell in the 41st week of the year, declining 2.2% from the prior week. Nearly four in 10 staffing companies (38%) 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 Oct. 16 was 3.8% higher than the same period in 2021.
“Staffing employment remains in positive territory compared to 2021,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month will be used in the October monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Nov. 4.
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.
