Weekly Report:
Jan. 18–Jan. 24, 2010
During the week of Jan. 18–24, 2010, temporary and contract employment increased 0.95%, maintaining the ASA Staffing Index at a value of 79.
At a current index value of 79, staffing employment is 14% higher than the level reported for the first week of the current year and is 7% higher than the same weekly period in 2009.
Monthly Report:
January 2010
Staffing employment in January is 8% higher than in the same month last year, according to the ASA Staffing Index.
As expected, the January index is lower than it was last month. Staffing employment historically peaks in November or December, and is usually at its lowest point in January. The December monthly period closed with the index at 87. Following the New Year's holiday, the index was 78—up 5 points from a year ago.
Staffing employment typically drops sharply during the Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks, and the index showed this pattern. The week of Dec. 14, staffing employment fell 1.29%, dropping the index one point to 86. The following two weeks, staffing employment had large consecutive declines of more than 10%, pushing the index down to 69 the week of Dec. 28. The week of Jan. 4, the staffing employment rose sharply by 12.4%, boosting the index up to 78. Staffing employment increased modestly (1.52%) the next week, Jan. 11–17, raising the index one point to 79.
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ASA Staffing Index
The ASA Staffing Index estimates weekly changes in the number of people employed in temporary and contract work. ASA developed the index to provide a current measure of staffing industry employment trends.
The index helps answer the question, "How's business?" It allows staffing companies to evaluate their performance against a national metric on both a weekly and long-term basis.
The ASA Staffing Index also serves as a valuable resource for economists, journalists, analysts, researchers, and policy makers who are interested in current trends in staffing employment. Participants account for more than one-third of industry sales offices.
Two numbers are reported weekly. The first is the weekly percentage change in staffing employment. The second is the index itself, which shows staffing employment trends over time. Both numbers are normally posted on the ASA Web site on Tuesday mornings.
Survey Details
- Data are reported typically nine days after the close of the work week.
- The methodology mirrors that of the quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey, based on a model developed by Standard and Poor's DRI in 1992.
- The baseline value for the ASA Staffing Index was set at 100 in June 2006. Data for the index are gathered by ASA corporate partner Inavero Institute for Service Research, a market research firm based in Portland, OR.
- Data are obtained through a secure Web-based questionnaire, accessed via a customized invitation e-mail sent to participants every Thursday night.
- Participants receive a weekly e-mail report on the survey results, which includes performance based on company size in four annual sales categories: less than $7.5 million, $7.5–$25 million, $25–$100 million, and more than $100 million.
- A monthly summary of the weekly results is available via e-mail to economists, journalists, analysts, researchers, policy makers, and other industry observers. Contact Reem El-Khatib at relkhatib@americanstaffing.net or 703-253-2047 for more information.
View a backgrounder on the index: Staffing, Jobs, and the Economy.
Participation Information
All U.S. staffing firms are invited to participate in the ASA Staffing Index survey. There are no fees for participation, and the survey takes only a couple of minutes each week to complete. Participants receive three e-mails per week: an invitation sent Thursday night to complete the survey by Monday evening, a Monday morning reminder, and a report on the weekly results (usually sent Tuesday morning).
Additional Information
Contact
Alexandra Karaer
Director of Research
703-253-2048
akaraer@americanstaffing.net
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