New Assignments Up From Prior Week
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, May 2022
Staffing employment increased slightly in the week of May 9–15, though it held at rounded value of 106. Up 0.2% from the previous week, the ASA Staffing Index remains near record highs for this time of the year. Businesses continue to cite Covid-19 as an obstacle to further growth, and several also mention lack of candidates. Staffing jobs were up 11.8% from the same week last year.
New starts also rose in the 19th week of the year, rising 2.5% from the prior week. About four in 10 staffing companies reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased to a rounded value of 106, as temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending May 17 was 11.8% higher than the same period in 2021.
“Staffing employment continues its strong run into the second quarter of the year,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research. “This week’s Staffing Index reading is the second-highest recorded this year and the eighth-highest ever measured.”
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the May monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on June 3.
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.
