Index up 0.3% Week-to-Week and 3.0% Year-to-Year
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, February 2026
Staffing employment edged up during the week of Feb. 9–15, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing by 0.3% to a rounded value of 85. Some staffing companies continued to cite inclement weather as a primary factor that hindered growth. Staffing jobs were 3.0% higher compared with the same period last year, up from 2.3% recorded the previous week.
New starts rose in the seventh week of the year, up by 14.4% from the prior week. Around four in 10 staffing companies (41%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, equal to the average last year.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average also edged up from the previous week to hold at a rounded value of 84. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Feb. 15 was 2.2% higher than during the same period in 2025.
“Despite some disruptions due to inclement weather, staffing employment has maintained a steady incline since the start of 2026,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “Though more robust momentum depends on greater churn in the labor market at large, an uptick in weekly headcount suggests employers are able to hire, but prefer to lean on temporary staff instead of making long-term personnel investments via permanent roles.”
This week will be used in the February monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 6.
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.
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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.