ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, October 2025
Index Building Modest Gains, Surpassing 2024
Staffing employment increased during the week of Oct. 13–19, with the ASA Staffing Index growing by 1.1% to a rounded value of 92. Staffing companies cited no one primary factor that hindered growth. Staffing jobs were 2.2% higher compared with the same period last year, up slightly from 2.0% recorded the previous week.
New starts also increased in the 42nd week of the year, up by 1.0% from the prior week. Almost four in 10 staffing companies (38%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, a little below the average of 42% so far in 2025.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased from the previous week while holding at a rounded value of 91. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Oct. 19 was 1.4% higher than during the same period in 2024.
“The staffing industry continues to make steady progress in what is otherwise a sluggish year for the labor market, with the ASA Staffing Index marking its sixth week of positive year-to-year growth,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “Despite economic headwinds, the recent gains forged by staffing companies raise a higher platform to build from in 2026.”
The ASA Staffing Index is reported nine days after each workweek, making it a near real-time measure of staffing employment trends. New starts is 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.