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Register for the ASA Staffing Law Conference Today

The ASA Staffing Law Conference is April 28–29 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in metro Washington, DC. Today is the last day to save $100 on your registration.

This is the only event dedicated exclusively to the legal and regulatory issues facing staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions companies. Don’t miss the featured speaker, nationally renowned political strategist and commentator Karl Rove; ASA senior counsel Ed Lenz; immigration law expert Helen L. Konrad; employee benefits attorney Alden J. Bianchi; and more.

ASA-certified professionals can earn up to 9.5 continuing education hours, including 8.25 hours of legal CE. Review the full agenda and register today at staffinglawconference.net.

BLS: Staffing Employment Up 5.2% From a Year Ago

American Staffing Association (03/06/15) Cynthia Poole

Temporary help employment showed little change from January to February (-0.3%), and was 5.2% higher than in February 2014, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Year-to-year staffing job growth has averaged 5.6% over the past 12 months.

Nonseasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that temporary help employment decreased 0.2% from January. Year-to-year, there were 5.7% more staffing employees in February than in the same month last year.

“Although inclement weather had some effect on industry employment in February, staffing firms report that client demand for temporary and permanent workers remains robust across most sectors,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association. “The February jobs report is further evidence of continued labor market momentum, translating to more employment opportunities for job seekers.”

Total U.S. nonfarm payroll employment rose by 295,000 jobs in February (seasonally adjusted), BLS reported. Incorporating revisions for December and January, the data showed that monthly job gains averaged 288,000 over the past three months, greater than an average of 266,000 for the prior 12 months.

The unemployment rate in February edged down to 5.5% from 5.7% in January.

February Job Cuts Down; One-Third of This Year’s Cuts Due to Oil

Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. News Release (03/05/15)

Employers based in the U.S. announced 50,579 workforce reductions worldwide in February, down 5% from 53,041 the month before but up 21% from the same time last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Employers planned 103,620 layoffs in January and February, up 19% from the same time last year. Thirty-eight percent of all workforce reductions in the first two months of 2015 were in the energy sector, which has been hurt by falling oil prices.

U.S. Productivity Falls at Faster Pace, Labor Costs Rise

Associated Press (03/05/15)

Worker productivity in the fourth quarter of 2014 dropped at an annual rate of 2.2%, less than the 1.8% decline estimated one month ago, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Labor costs increased at a rate of 4.1%, up from estimates of 2.7%. This period of worsening productivity and increasing labor costs is expected to be temporary, experts say, and they do not believe that inflation will become a problem.

Welcome New ASA Members

The ASA board of directors and staff welcome the following new members, which joined during the week ending March 1.

Accounting & Finance Professionals Inc.

Phoenix, AZ

Colorado Staffing Solutions

Aurora, CO

Gear LLC

Alcoa, TN

GForce Staffing Services

Chicago, IL

Mavensoft Technologies

Beaverton, OR

RAPS Consulting Inc.

Princeton, NJ