In partnership with the Women Business Collaborative staffing leadership council, ASA today announced the results of the first survey on diversity, inclusion, and equity in the U.S. staffing and recruiting industry. The study, which queried executives in 489 companies, found, in part, that less than 20% of staffing agency executives are women.

The survey also found that a lack of racial diversity exists in the staffing industry, with people of color comprising well under 10% of all staff. The industry has a fair balance of men and women across its workforce, but imbalance occurs as leadership levels increase—with an underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles.

“ASA is dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion in the staffing industry—across industries, geographies, and roles, and for both temporary and corporate employees,” said Diana Mertz, ASA senior director member engagement. “The WBC survey is an important benchmark to drive efforts to advance equity for all in the industry.”

Over the next several months the WBC staffing council will release a series of additional insights and observations from the survey. This project will be aligned with the work of the nine WBC action initiatives, which focus on ensuring equal position, pay, and power for all women across all industries and throughout the pipeline.