New Starts Down
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, December 2020
Staffing employment for the week of Dec. 7–13 edged up 0.4% from the prior week, according to the ASA Staffing Index. This week marks a 2020 high for staffing jobs, with the index reaching an unrounded value of 91 for the first time this year. This week also sees the narrowest year-to-year gap so far in 2020, with staffing jobs down just 5.6% from the same week last year.
New starts were down (-5.8% on average), with less than half (42%) of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average also reached a high for this year, increasing to a rounded value of 89. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Dec. 13 was 7.2% lower than the same period last year.
“While new assignments (an indication of job orders) are down, staffing employment continues to grow steadily—reaching a level not seen in the past year, which shows promise for the recovery of temporary jobs,” said Cynthia Davidson, ASA senior director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the December monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Jan. 8.
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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