New Starts Tick Up
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, April 2021
Staffing employment for the week of April 12–18 rose 1.4% from the prior week, increasing to a rounded value of 94, according to the ASA Staffing Index. Although there were 55.9% more temporary and contract jobs compared with the same week in 2020, staffing employment levels were steady (+0.3%) relative to the same period in 2019. Covid-19 continues to be mentioned as a factor limiting even further growth.
New starts inched up 0.3% on average, with just under half (47%) of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average maintained a rounded value of 93, for the third consecutive reporting period. Temporary and contract staffing employment mid-March through mid-April expanded 44% compared with the pandemic lows during the same period in 2020.
“Staffing jobs are holding steady and are comparable with 2019 levels—strong evidence of the continued demand for staffing services following the pandemic, when employment plunged to historic lows,” said Cynthia Davidson, senior director of research for the American Staffing Association.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the April monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on May 7.
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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