Staffing Firms Add 15,200 Jobs in June

Temporary help employment edged up 0.5% from May to June, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staffing employment was 0.6% higher than in June 2015. Over the past 12 months, year-to-year staffing job growth averaged 1.5%.

Nonseasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that temporary help employment increased 1.4% from May to June. Year-to-year, there were 0.8% more staffing employees in June than in the same month last year.

Total U.S. nonfarm payroll employment surged by 287,000 jobs in June (seasonally adjusted) after an inexplicably weak May gain of only 11,000 jobs, BLS reported. Incorporating revisions for April and May, job gains averaged 147,000 per month over the past three months, less than the average of 199,000 for the prior 12 months.

“Even though growth in labor demand has slowed from a year ago, businesses continue to increase the size of their permanent and flexible workforces,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association. “This is good news for all job seekers and especially for new college graduates who should consult with area staffing and recruiting firms about short-term and long-term employment opportunities as they begin to build their career portfolios.”

The unemployment rate rose from 4.7% in May to 4.9% in June, offsetting the prior month’s decline.

BLS also released preliminary May employment data for search and placement services, which, seasonally adjusted, was unchanged from April. Search and placement jobs totaled 318,600 in May, 7.8% higher than in the same month last year.

For more information, visit the ASA newsroom. Interviews with ASA executives are available.

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About the American Staffing Association

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.