Staffing employment for the week of Sept. 7–13 was relatively unchanged (-0.02%) from the prior week, holding at a value of 78, according to the ASA Staffing Index. Several survey respondents mentioned the Labor Day holiday and temporary-to-hire conversions as factors that negatively impacted growth.

Not surprisingly, new starts were more heavily impacted by the holiday—down 12.8% on average, with 30% of staffing companies reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.

“Despite the holiday, staffing employment held steady week-to-week and continues to show early signs that staffing jobs are on the road to recovery,” said Cynthia Davidson, ASA senior director of research.

This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the September monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Oct. 2.