New Data From Quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey
U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 3.07 million temporary and contract workers per week in the first quarter of 2017. Staffing employment growth eased (-0.5%) compared with the same period in 2016, according to data released today by the American Staffing Association. Average weekly staffing employment has exceeded three million for 12 consecutive quarters.
Temporary and contract staffing sales totaled $32.05 billion in the first quarter of 2017, 3.6% higher compared with the same period in 2016.
On a quarter-to-quarter basis, employment and sales typically peak in the fourth quarter, decline in the first quarter, and grow in subsequent quarters. That seasonal pattern held, with staffing employment contracting by 8.1% from the fourth quarter and staffing sales declining by 4.1%.
“Temporary and contract employment is an indicator of where the economy is today,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “The good news at this stage of the economic cycle is that while staffing employment growth was constrained in the first quarter by talent shortages across a wide range of occupations, the demand for temporary and contract employees is steady and is expected to remain so.”
See the ASA website for more details about the quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey, sponsored by ASA research partner CareerBuilder.
For more information, visit the ASA newsroom. You can also follow ASA on Twitter.
Interviews with ASA executives are available.
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About the American Staffing Association (ASA)
The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state 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.
