New Assignments Up From Prior Week
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, February 2022
Staffing employment continued its first-quarter growth trend in the week of Feb. 7–13. The ASA Staffing Index rose 0.8% from the previous week, setting a new February record with a rounded value of 105. The measure continues at a level well ahead of 2021—there were 17.3% more staffing jobs compared with the same week in 2021. Several staffing firms mentioned Covid-19 as a factor limiting further growth.
New starts expanded in the sixth week of the year, with an increase of 3.8% over the prior week. More than four in 10 staffing companies reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average rose from the prior week to a rounded value of 104, as temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Feb. 13 was 16.6% higher than the same period in 2021.
“With six consecutive weeks of growth and record-high readings for this time of year, staffing employment is continuing its strong start to 2022,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the February monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 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.
