Staffing employment continued to rebound during the week of Jan. 12–18, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing by 2.6% to a rounded value of 84. Staffing companies cited no one primary factor that hindered growth. Staffing jobs were 2.0% higher compared with the same period last year, up from 1.2% recorded the previous week.

New starts, however, decreased in the third week of the year, down by 8.4% from the prior week. Almost one in three staffing companies (32%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, below the average of 41% last year.

The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average decreased from the previous week to a rounded value of 80. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Jan. 18 was 1.8% higher than during the same period in 2024.

“Weekly changes in the ASA Staffing Index continue to exceed their levels from prior years, suggesting gradual momentum in staffing employment,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “A more emphatic recovery still has yet to materialize as stagnant labor market conditions depress employers’ appetites for hiring and workers’ sentiments for quitting.”

This week will be used in the January monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Feb. 6.