Staffing Firms Add 9,300 Jobs in April

Temporary help employment showed little change from March to April (0.3%), according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staffing employment was 2.3% higher than in April 2015. Year-to-year staffing job growth averaged 3.3% over the past 12 months.

Nonseasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that temporary help employment increased by 49,300 jobs, up 1.8% from March to April. Year-to-year, there were 1.9% more staffing employees in April than in the same month last year.

Total U.S. nonfarm payroll employment rose by 160,000 jobs in April (seasonally adjusted), BLS reported. Incorporating revisions for February and March, the data showed that monthly job gains averaged 200,000 per month over the past three months, less than the average of 232,000 for the prior 12 months.

“In the current slow growth economy, businesses are understandably cautious about adding to employee headcount,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association. “However, staffing and recruiting firms continue to report increases in demand across several sectors as clients strategically increase the size of their flexible and permanent workforces.”

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0%.

BLS also released preliminary March employment data for search and placement services, which increased 0.8% from February, seasonally adjusted. Search and placement jobs totaled 317,500 in March, 9.3% higher than in the same month last year.

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The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state and regional affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.