New Assignments Little Changed From Prior Week
Staffing employment was essentially unchanged in the week of Aug. 8–14, rising just 0.02% to hold at a rounded value of 107—a record for the month of August. Staffing companies cited a variety of factors including Covid-19, seasonal business fluctuations, and lack of candidates as barriers preventing further growth. Staffing jobs were up 8.7% from the same week last year.
New starts also held steady in the 32nd week of the year, edging up 0.7% from the prior week. Four in 10 staffing companies reported gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average inched up slightly from the prior week to hold at a rounded value of 107, as temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Aug. 14 was 9.0% higher than the same period in 2021.
“Staffing employment remains at a high level,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the August monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Sept. 2.
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.
# # #
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.
