Staffing Index Over 100 for Thirteenth Consecutive Week
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, December 2021
Staffing employment for the week of Dec. 6–12 edged up 0.7% from the previous week, increasing the ASA Staffing Index to a rounded value of 108. This marks the thirteenth consecutive week in which the index has measured 100 or greater, an achievement that has only occurred once before in 2014. Several staffing firms cited seasonal business fluctuations and Covid-19 as factors limiting further growth in temporary and contract staffing employment. There were 18.3% more staffing jobs compared with the same week in 2020.
Following the prior week’s surge, new starts contracted 8.4% on average, with a third of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average maintained a value of 107. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Dec. 12 was 19.5% higher than the same period in 2020.
“Despite the Thanksgiving holiday, staffing employment in recent weeks has held strong at record levels,” said Scott Vanderbilt, 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. 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.
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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.