New Starts Down Due to Labor Day
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, September 2020
Staffing employment for the week of Sept. 7–13 was relatively unchanged (-0.02%) from the prior week, holding at a value of 78, according to the ASA Staffing Index. Several survey respondents mentioned the Labor Day holiday and temporary-to-hire conversions as factors that negatively impacted growth. Staffing jobs were down 19.6% from the same week last year, which did not include Labor Day.
Not surprisingly, new starts were more heavily impacted by the holiday—down 12.8% on average, with 30% of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
“Despite the holiday, staffing employment held steady week-to-week and continues to show early signs that staffing jobs are on the road to recovery,” said Cynthia Davidson, ASA senior director of research.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average held at a value of 77. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Sept. 13 was 18.8% lower than the same period in 2019.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the September monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Oct. 2.
The ASA Staffing Index is reported nine days after each workweek, making it a near real-time measure of staffing employment trends. ASA Staffing Starts are the number of temporary and contract employees placed in new assignments during the reporting week. ASA research shows that staffing employment has historically been a coincident economic indicator.
For more information, visit americanstaffing.net/index. Or follow ASA research on Twitter.
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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 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.
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