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Participate in the Quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey

Published October 08, 2025 ■ ASA for You

The association’s quarterly Staffing Employment and Sales Survey for the third quarter of 2025 is now open. Staffing companies that complete the brief survey—including search and placement firms—will have access to an exclusive report on the results, enhanced with graphs. The report, which participants can download from the ASA website, also includes an executive summary, plus sales category and sector-level data.

The data collected by this survey enable ASA to track staffing sales and gross margin trends and provide direct hire metrics. Participate in the ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey by Nov. 21 to get the staffing industry information you’re looking for.

Register to take the survey, or view the questionnaire, at americanstaffing.net/quarterly-survey. If you have questions or did not receive a survey link, email research@americanstaffing.net. There are no fees to participate.

Avoid Unnecessary Risks in Client Agreements

Published October 08, 2025 ■ ASA for You

Staffing firms increasingly face client demands to be indemnified against various types of liability, but companies should not assume risks related to their client’s business and should not take on liability for the client’s own products and services.

To help staffing companies protect themselves, ASA developed a tool kit containing various resources to help staffing firms that face unreasonable client indemnification demands.

The tool kit includes resources such as a risk philosophy document you can share with clients, suggested contract language, articles, a presentation slide deck, and more—access the ASA Indemnity Tool Kit at americanstaffing.net.

Staffing World Concludes Today

Published October 08, 2025 ■ Announcement

Staffing World® 2025, the ASA annual convention and expo, wraps up today at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

The day began with breakout sessions, which started at 9:30 a.m. and continue until 3:15 p.m., and the Expo Hall will be open until 2 p.m.—featuring ASA Cares LIVE—Pawvana (sponsored by Avionté) from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along with Knowledge Hub talks (sponsored by Benefits in a Card) and Author Talks at the Staffing World Bookstore.

The final event of the convention will be the Super Session from 3:30 to 5 p.m. featuring keynote presenter Carla Harris (sponsored by ConverzAI) and the presentation of the ASA Care Awards.

Follow all the Staffing World action if you can’t be there in person—connect on social media and check out the #StaffingWorld hashtag to read about attendees’ reactions, see photos, and more.

Don’t Miss the Next Weekly Economic & Business Outlook

Published October 07, 2025 ■ ASA for You

The Weekly Economic & Business Outlook—or WEBO—is an ASA resource that goes out to member email boxes every week. ASA researchers examine trends within the staffing industry, as well as developments within the broader economy, and then deliver succinct takeaways that can help drive strategic business decisions.

This powerful and targeted data and analysis tool features weekly analysis designed to deliver the information ASA members need to track trends and capitalize on opportunities. To make sure you’re getting your WEBO each week, as well as other ASA research emails, click the “Unsubscribe/Manage Email Preferences” link at the very bottom of this email and opt in to research content. Also, be sure to allow emails from research@americanstaffing.net.

What’s Happening Today at Staffing World

Published October 07, 2025 ■ Announcement

Staffing World® 2025 continues today and tomorrow at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL, helping attendees make smarter, faster decisions that can accelerate growth for their firms.

Today the ASA annual convention and expo got started with the Super Session and Staffing Industry Panel Presentation (sponsored by T2 Insurance Solutions), the ASA annual membership meeting, and presentation of the 2026 National Staffing Employee of the Year award (sponsored by PMC Insurance Group). Breakout sessions started at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time and continue through 5:45 p.m., and the Expo Hall—where you can see Knowledge Hub talks (sponsored by Benefits in a Card) and Author Talks at the Staffing World Bookstore—is open until 7 p.m.

Tomorrow, breakout sessions start at 9:30 a.m. and continue to 3:15 p.m., and the expo will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Staffing World concludes with the Super Session featuring keynote presenter Carla Harris (sponsored by ConverzAI) and the presentation of the ASA Care Awards.

Keep up with what’s going on at Staffing World—connect on social media and check out the #StaffingWorld hashtag to learn about what’s happening.

THRIVE Live Concludes and Staffing World Begins Today

Published October 06, 2025 ■ Announcement

As THRIVE Live, presented by the ASA women in leadership interest group, wraps up today at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL, Staffing World® 2025 is just getting started.

Today the ASA annual convention and expo kicks off with the Staffing World Welcome Mixer from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Eastern time, followed by the Opening Super Session at 3:30 p.m. featuring the keynote address by Olympic legend Katie Ledecky (sponsored by World Wide Specialty, a Division of Philadelphia Insurance Cos.) and the presentation of the ASA Leadership Hall of Fame (sponsored by Nixer Comp Inc.) and ASA Volunteer of the Year awards. Knowledge Hub Talks (sponsored by Benefits in a Card) take place in the Expo Hall from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.

Tomorrow, registration will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Programming begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Super Session and Staffing Industry Panel Presentation (sponsored by T2 Insurance Solutions), the ASA annual membership meeting, and presentation of the 2026 National Staffing Employee of the Year award (sponsored by PMC Insurance Group). Breakout sessions take place tomorrow from 11:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and the Expo Hall will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you aren’t able to attend Staffing World, you can connect on social media and check out the #StaffingWorld hashtag to learn about what’s happening.

Take Advantage of Onboarding Courses for Staffing Professionals

Published October 06, 2025 ■ ASA for You

Have you hired new staffing professionals recently? Need to train new employees or offer refresher courses to seasoned team members? Invest in your team with onboarding courses available from ASA—designed specifically for staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions professionals.

You can purchase and assign courses to your team and track their progress using the ASA learning management system, ASA Learn. The online course modules include “Introduction to the Staffing Industry,” “Fundamentals of Sales,” and “Fundamentals of Recruiting.” Modules are available as a full set or a la carte. To learn more, visit learn.americanstaffing.net.

FTC Steps Up Noncompete Enforcement Against Staffing Firms

Published October 06, 2025 ■ ASA Policy Edge

The approach of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to policing noncompete clauses has shifted, from a broad nationwide ban to focused enforcement against unlawful noncompetes. In April 2024, the FTC introduced a rule intended to ban most noncompetes across the U.S. The rule faced several legal challenges, and, in August 2024, a U.S. District Court held the rule was unlawful. On Sept. 5, 2025, the FTC withdrew its appeal of the court ruling, effectively abandoning its nationwide ban. Statements accompanying the FTC’s decision to withdraw emphasized that the FTC lacked authority for a sweeping rule but would still police illegal noncompetes through enforcement of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914.

On Sept. 4, 2025, the FTC launched a public inquiry through its joint labor task force. The stated purpose of the inquiry was to gather data to “understand the scope, prevalence, and effects of employer noncompete agreements, as well as to gather information to inform possible future enforcement actions [emphasis added].” The task force is encouraging members of the public—including employees currently and previously restricted by noncompete agreements—as well as employers facing hiring difficulties due to competitors’ noncompete agreements to share information about the use of noncompete agreements. As a result of this information collection effort, employers may find themselves in the agency’s crosshairs.

The FTC is also distributing letters to many large employers and staffing firms in the health care sector notifying them that the FTC has information that “suggests that many health care employers and staffing companies include noncompete agreements in employment contracts that may unreasonably limit employment options for vital roles like nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals.” The FTC states that it intends to focus resources on enforcing Section 5 of the FTC act against unlawful noncompetes, particularly in the health care sector. Although the FTC acknowledges that narrowly tailored noncompetes can serve a valid purpose in certain circumstances, the agency encourages companies to conduct comprehensive reviews of their noncompetes and restrictive covenants to ensure they are justified and not overbroad or otherwise unfair or anticompetitive.

In light of the FTC’s activities, staffing firms should ensure their noncompetes pass legal scrutiny under both federal and state laws. Noncompete clauses are particularly likely to be struck down in states like California, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, which have some the most restrictive rules regarding the use of noncompetes.

Understanding the State of the Labor Market

Published October 03, 2025 ■ Headline News

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics failed to release its September jobs report due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Despite the absence of official numbers, it is clear that labor market growth is stalling. Private sector payroll data from ADP revealed a decrease in jobs by 32,000 in September, and total nonfarm payroll data collected by Revelio Labs showed an increase of just 60,000—driven by gains in education, health care, and government—still, these figures are far from an average of 82,000 jobs recorded in the first half of the year.

July’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data revealed a marked slowdown in both hires and quits, and the latest layoffs report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed U.S. employers announced about 54,000 job cuts in September——while the quarterly average of such announcements declined by 60% between the first quarter and third quarter of this year. These data points affirm the low-hire, low-fire paralysis that is dominating the labor market.

Employers are cautious to hire and invest in their workforces while employees are hesitant to leave their current roles for new opportunities.

These statistics underscore the dangers of a K-shaped labor market in which different segments of the market are seeing different rates of recovery—in this instance, a labor market that is working for those who are gainfully employed but broken for those on its sidelines.

Should the federal government decide to pursue mass layoffs during this shutdown, it would needlessly augment labor supply at a time when demand cannot accommodate the current pool of job seekers.

Staffing companies offer a unique value proposition, at a time when companies are hesitant to make long-term personnel decisions, and could see the kind of increase in demand for employees that often precedes a broader recovery in labor demand. As shown by the ASA Staffing Index, demand for staffing services has reached a critical inflection point, which may signal that a recovery is on the horizon.

THRIVE Live and Staffing World Happen Next Week—You Can Still Register

Published October 03, 2025 ■ Announcement

THRIVE Live and Staffing World® take place next week—THRIVE Live, presented by the ASA women in leadership interest group, is Oct. 5–6 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL, and Staffing World, the ASA annual convention and expo, is Oct. 6–8 at the same location in Orlando.

Don’t miss your chance to get solutions for overcoming challenges—and strategies to accelerate your growth. Go to staffingworld.net to register and connect with your peers in Orlando. Already registered? Colleagues from your staffing company will save 15% on their full registration packages.

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© 2025 American Staffing Association

ASA Staffing Today is published by the American Staffing Association, with news abstracts copyrighted in 2025 by Smithbucklin of Washington, DC, and all other content copyrighted in 2025 by ASA. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

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