New Starts Pick Up Pace
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, October 2020
Staffing employment for the week of Oct. 12–18 expanded 2.0% from the prior week, increasing to a rounded value of 85, according to the ASA Staffing Index. This week marks the largest week-to-week increase for the comparative week since the inception of the index in 2006. Staffing jobs were down 12.5% from the same week last year, further narrowing the year-to-year gap after six months of nearly uninterrupted growth following a historical low in April.
New starts were up for the fifth consecutive week, increasing 5.8% on average, with half (48%) of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
“The number of temporary jobs in the U.S. continues to rise, solidifying an upward trend toward recovery,” said Cynthia Davidson, ASA senior director of research. “The coming weeks will be very influential in shaping the next phase of regaining stability for staffing employment.”
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average grew to a rounded value of 83. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Oct. 18 was 14.7% lower than the same period in 2019.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the October monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Nov. 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. Or follow ASA research on Twitter.
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About the American Staffing Association
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.
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