ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, September 2025
Staffing employment grew during the week of Sept. 8–14, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing to a rounded value of 90—the highest value so far for 2025. Some staffing companies cited the recent Labor Day holiday as a primary factor that hindered further growth. For the first time since January 2023, staffing jobs increased on a year-over-year basis, up 0.5%.
New starts also increased in the 37th week of the year, up 5.4% from the prior week. Over half of all staffing companies (55%) reported gains in new assignments week-to-week, above the average of 42% so far in 2025.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased from the previous week to hold at a value of 89. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Sept. 14 was 0.3% below the same period in 2024.
“After progressively narrowing throughout the year, the Staffing Index’s year-to-year gap now finally exceeds its value recorded in 2024,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “Further progress is needed to confirm a genuine recovery, but this trajectory suggests that the longstanding staffing slump may soon be fading into our rearview mirror.”
This week will be used in the September monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Oct. 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 X.
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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.