Index Up 0.1% Week-to-Week, and 5.3% Year-to-Year
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, March 2026
Staffing employment inched up during the week of Mar. 9–15, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing slightly by 0.1% to a rounded value of 87. Staffing companies cited no one particular factor that hindered growth. Staffing jobs were 5.3% higher compared with the same period last year, up half a point from 4.8% recorded the previous week.
The ASA Staffing Index has now shown year-over-year growth in 25 out of the past 26 straight weeks.
New starts also increased in the eleventh week of the year, up 5.2% from the prior week. A little over one third of staffing companies (35%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, below the average of 41% last year.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average improved from the previous week but held at a rounded value of 86. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Mar. 15 was 4.0% higher than during the same period in 2025.
“Economic uncertainty is driving employers to flexible, short-term staffing at levels we haven’t seen since 2024,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “In the midst of a tepid hiring market, the staffing and recruiting industry is showing its continued resilience while providing employers with an option for strategic growth.”
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 April 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.
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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.