Strategic Management

New Data From Quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 3.19 million temporary and contract workers per week in 2017, down slightly (-0.6%) from 2016, according to data released today by the American Staffing Association. This is the third-highest number of staffing employees since 2006, just before the… More ›

Up 4.2% From a Year Ago Temporary help employment grew robustly in February, adding nearly 27,000 jobs over the month, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staffing employment increased 0.9% from January to February and was 4.2% higher than in February 2017—the greatest year-to-year growth since July… More ›

The economy continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace in January and February, according to the Federal Reserve Board’s latest report on regional economies (known as the “beige book”). Employment grew at a moderate pace amid persistent labor market tightness nationwide, and demand for qualified workers was brisk. Wage growth was moderate in… More ›

ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, February 2018 Staffing employment for the week of Feb. 12–18 edged down 0.4%, but remained at a rounded value of 94 for the fourth straight week, according to the ASA Staffing Index. Despite the slight decline, the week of Feb. 12–18—which included the Presidents Day holiday weekend—matched the highest level… More ›

Most Difficult-to-Fill Occupations in Each Sector The American Staffing Association Skills Gap Index has identified the 156 hardest-to-fill occupations in the U.S. for the fourth quarter of 2017. The two most difficult-to-fill jobs in each staffing industry sector are Engineering, information technology, and scientific Computer and information research scientists Information security analysts Health care Psychiatrists… More ›

Seasonally Up 3.4% From a Year Ago Temporary help employment changed little (0.1%) from December 2017 to January 2018, but was 3.4% higher than in January 2017, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the past six months, year-to-year staffing job growth averaged 3.0% per month, higher… More ›

ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, January 2018 Staffing employment for the week of Jan. 8–14 accelerated to 94, reaching the second-highest value for the same week since the inception of the ASA Staffing Index in 2006. Temporary and contract staffing employment was 5.0% higher than the prior week, which included the New Year’s Day holiday…. More ›

The economy continued to expand from late November through the end of the year, according to the Federal Reserve Board’s latest report on regional economies (known as the “beige book”). Most Federal Reserve districts reported a modest to moderate rate of growth. Employment growth was modest, as labor market tightness spanning skills and sectors constrained… More ›