Staffing Industry Statistics
More than three million temporary and contract employees work for America’s staffing companies during an average week.
During the course of a year, America’s staffing companies hire 16 million temporary and contract employees.
- Most (76%) work full time, comparable to the overall workforce (82%).
- Half (49%) of staffing employees say it’s a way to get a permanent job.
- Nine out 10 said staffing work made them more employable.
- One-third (35%) were offered a permanent job by a client where they worked on an assignment, and two-thirds (66%) of those accepted the offers of permanent employment.
While permanent employment is a top priority for most staffing employees, about one in five cite scheduling flexibility as a key reason for choosing temporary and contract work.
- Individual assignments range from a few hours to several years; overall employment tenure averages about two and a half months.
- The average wage is more than $17 per hour; some make more than $100 per hour.
Staffing employees work in virtually all occupations in all sectors:
- 37% Industrial
- 28% Office–Clerical and Administrative
- 13% Professional–Managerial
- 13% Engineering, Information Technology, and Scientific
- 9% Health Care
Nine out 10 staffing employees say they were satisfied with their staffing company.
Staffing clients turn to staffing companies to achieve workforce flexibility and access to talent.
In the U.S., there are about 20,000 staffing and recruiting companies, which altogether operate around 39,000 offices. Approximately 55% of companies and 74% of offices are in the temporary and contract staffing sector of the industry.
ASA represents a majority of the industry in both sales and offices.
Staffing companies offer a wide range of employment-related services, predominantly
- Temporary and contract staffing
- Recruiting and permanent placement
- Outsourcing and outplacement
- Human resource consulting
