U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 3.32 million temporary and contract workers per week in the third quarter of 2015, up 1.8% from the same period in 2014. Average weekly employment from July through September was the highest for any third quarter since 2000 and the second-highest number of staffing employees since the inception of the ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey in 1992.

“Staffing employment continues to grow as the demand for talent increases,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “With 5.4 million job openings in the U.S., there are lots of opportunities for job seekers looking for flexible or permanent positions.”

Temporary and contract staffing sales totaled $30.69 billion in the third quarter of 2015—4.2% higher than in the same period last year.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis, staffing employment and sales were up 2.5% from second to the third quarter.