ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, August 2025
Four-Week Average Increased Despite Week-to-Week Decrease
Staffing employment edged down during the week of Aug. 11-17, with the ASA Staffing Index holding at a rounded value of 88. Staffing companies cited no one primary factor that hindered further growth. Staffing jobs were 1.9% lower compared with the same period last year, widening the 1.1% year-to-year gap observed the previous week.
New starts also decreased in the 33rd week of the year, down 7.2% from the prior week. More than one in three staffing companies (36%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, below the average of 42% so far in 2025.
Despite the downtick week-to-week, the ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased from the previous week to hold at a rounded value of 88. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Aug. 17 was 1.2% below the same period in 2024.
“The remarkable speed and scale of recovery in staffing employment following its July Fourth dip suggests that the industry’s worst days are behind them. While the staffing industry has yet to see a more comprehensive recovery due to an ongoing freeze in labor market activity, the economy still has demand for temporary workers,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA.
This week will be used in the August monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Sept. 5.
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.