Weekly Report:
Feb. 22–Feb. 28, 2010
During the week of Feb. 22–28, 2010, temporary and contract employment increased 1.23%, raising the ASA Staffing Index one point to a value of 82.
At a current index value of 82, staffing employment is 19% higher than the level reported for the first week of the current year and is 15% higher than the same weekly period in 2009.
Monthly Report:
February 2010
Staffing employment in February is 10% higher than in the same month last year, according to the ASA Staffing Index.
The index for February is 80, up from 79 for January. Staffing employment typically begins to exhibit steady growth following the annual end–of–the–year holiday dip that usually occurs in December.
The week of Jan. 18, staffing employment increased 0.95%, maintaining the index at the previous week's value of 79. The week of Jan. 25, staffing payrolls increased 0.64%, raising the index up to 80. The following week, the period of Feb. 1, staffing employment declined 1.06%, pushing the index back down to 79. The last week of the monthly period measured, the week of Feb. 8, the staffing employment rose 1.25% and the index rebounded to 80.
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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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