Staffing Index Bounces Back to Triple Digits After Holiday Lull
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, January 2022
Staffing employment continued its post-holiday rebound in the week of Jan. 10–16. The ASA Staffing Index rose 4.2% from the previous week, returning to triple digits with a rounded value of 101. Staffing firms cited Covid-19 as a factor limiting further growth. There were 13.8% more staffing jobs compared with the same week in 2021.
Growth in new starts cooled a bit but remained positive, with an increase of 2.6% over the prior week. Nearly four in 10 staffing companies reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average edged down to 95, but temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Jan. 16 was 14.1% higher than the same period in 2021.
“Staffing employment is showing a strong start to 2022, and the ASA Staffing Index has already returned above 100 after the typical year-end lull,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the January monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Feb. 4.
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 (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.
