Staffing employment steady in September
Almost half of all staffing firms report gains in new assignments
Staffing employment edged up in the week of Sept. 11-17, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing by 1.1% to a rounded value of 101. Many staffing companies listed a holiday as a barrier preventing further growth. Staffing jobs were 4.8% below the same week last year.
New starts in the 37th week of the year rose 5.9% from the prior week. Almost half of all staffing companies (49%) reported gains in new assignments week to week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased from the prior week to hold at a rounded value of 101, and temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Sept. 17 was 4.9% lower than the same period in 2022.
“Staffing employment continues to trend below 2022 but above levels seen in the spring of 2023,” said Tim Hulley, assistant research director at ASA.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the September monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Oct. 6.
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.
For more information, visit americanstaffing.net/index.
