Staffing Employment Grows After Holiday

Posted on September 27th, 2022.

Staffing employment grew in the week of Sept. 12–18, rising 1.4% to a rounded value of 106 and setting a new record high for the month of September. Several staffing companies mentioned a recent holiday as a barrier preventing further growth. Staffing jobs were up 5.6% from the same week last year.

New starts bounced back in the 37th week of the year after a sharp holiday-driven decline, rising 8.8% from the prior week. More than four in 10 staffing companies (45%) reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.

The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average edged down from the prior week but held at a rounded value of 106, as temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Sept. 18 was 7.6% higher than the same period in 2021.

“Staffing employment remains strong despite a holiday dip in September,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.

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. 7.

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.

Source: American Staffing Association