Can you offer solutions for the challenges that staffing firms face today? ASA is looking for experts in the staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry to share their experience and expertise at the ASA annual convention and expo. The association also is looking for professionals in business, workforce solutions, workplace management, and other disciplines pertinent to the staffing industry to present ASA webinars. As a presenter for ASA, you will have the opportunity to reach out to industry professionals and build lasting connections.

Staffing World^® 2025 takes place Oct. 6–8 in Orlando; slots are available for breakout sessions (60- to 75-minute interactive presentations) and Speed Talks (10-minute talks on topics important to the industry).

Proposals for Staffing World breakout sessions are due Jan. 31, and proposals for Staffing World Speed Talks are due May 31. Proposals for ASA webinars are accepted throughout the year. For more information and to start your submission, visit americanstaffing.net/presenters.

ASA today announced benefits administration provider Benefits in a Card as the newest member of the association’s corporate partner program.

ASA corporate partnerships represent the highest level of support for the association; its members; and the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and talent solutions industry. The new alliance with Benefits in a Card will strengthen current association projects and services as well as support future initiatives.

“Benefits in a Card’s innovative and practical services provide critical benefits support to staffing agencies throughout the country,” said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at ASA. “We’re excited to work with Benefits in a Card to advance the interests of the staffing, recruiting, and talent solutions industry in the coming year.”

“The partnership between Benefits in a Card and the American Staffing Association brings together two organizations dedicated to the success and well-being of the staffing industry,” said Carl Stecker, chief executive officer at Benefits in a Card. “This collaboration represents our shared vision for the future: improving retention, streamlining operations, and promoting the health and well-being of temporary workers.”

ExecuVision 2025 is an exclusive event that brings together top staffing industry leaders for a one-of-a-kind experience combining in-depth discussions with innovative strategies in intimate, retreat-style sessions. Join the c-suite staffing executives who will be coming together to set their course for 2025, and the staffing industry’s future, Feb. 11–12 in Miami.

Learn what truly makes businesses thrive in challenging times and hear from keynote speaker Jim Collins, named one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” by Forbes, when he delivers an exclusive leadership masterclass. Attendance is limited to just 200 staffing industry executives so that participants will be able to engage deeply with their peers who are shaping the next generation of staffing. Secure your seat today at execuvision.net.

The American Staffing Association’s call for subject matter experts is currently open. Do you have insights that are essential to the staffing, recruiting, or workforce solutions industry that you’d like to share with the ASA community in 2025? Submit your proposal today for your chance to speak at Staffing World^®, the ASA annual convention and expo, or to present an ASA webinar.

Present a breakout session (60- to 75-minute interactive presentation) or Speed Talk (10-minute talk on a topic important to the industry) at Staffing World 2025, Oct. 6–8 in Orlando. Proposals for Staffing World breakout sessions are due Jan. 31, and proposals for Staffing World Speed Talks are due May 31.

Present an ASA webinar (60-minute presentation on a topic important to the industry). Webinars take place virtually, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Proposals for ASA webinars are accepted throughout the year.

For more information and to start your submission, visit americanstaffing.net/presenters.

There’s only one day left to take advantage of the ASA professional development sale—get a 25% discount on education and certification products and get ahead in 2025. You can save on certification packages, exams, and study materials; the new Staffing Pro Stacks credentialing programs; staffing industry onboarding courses; and more (except certification renewal fees).

Why should you earn an ASA credential? Visit americanstaffing.net/certification to learn the answer—then place your order in the ASA store before tomorrow using the discount code ASAHOLIDAY24.

ExecuVision 2025 is an exclusive event that brings together top staffing industry leaders for a one-of-a-kind experience combining in-depth discussions with innovative strategies in intimate, retreat-style sessions. Join the c-suite staffing executives who will be coming together to set their course for 2025, and the staffing industry’s future, Feb. 11–12, 2025, in Miami.

Learn what truly makes businesses thrive in challenging times and hear from Jim Collins, a legend among the world’s most influential business leaders, when he delivers an exclusive leadership masterclass. Attendance is limited to just 200 staffing industry executives so that participants will be able to engage deeply with their peers who are shaping the next generation of staffing. Secure your seat today at execuvision.net.

Staffing employment edged up in the week of Dec. 9–15, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing by 0.3% to a rounded value of 89, where it has hovered for much of the year. Staffing jobs were 8.9% below the same week last year, an improvement over the year-to-year gap of 10.0% observed in the prior week.

New starts grew in the 50th week of the year, rising 8.5% from the prior week. Four in 10 staffing companies (40%) reported gains in new assignments week to week, just shy of the average of 41% for the year.

The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average inched down from the prior week but held at a rounded value of 88, and temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Dec. 15 was 9.8% lower than the same period in 2023.

“Staffing employment has been subdued but steady for much of 2024, and that remains true within the final stretch of the year,” said Noah Yosif, chief economist at ASA. “Although momentum is likely to slow toward the end of the month, elevated levels of economic activity could minimize the dip into 2025.”

This week will be used in the December monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Jan. 3.

Did you know that 65% of your ASA membership dues can be deducted from your company’s taxes as a business expense? That means you’ll get all the value of ASA—including access to professional development, legal and legislative advocacy, industry-specific research and economic data, and more—and get a tax advantage as a result.

Renew by Dec. 31 to retain access to your full range of member benefits for another year.

When your firm renews its ASA membership, 65% of the membership dues can be deducted from your company’s taxes as a business expense.

ASA membership expires Dec. 31. Don’t lose access to professional development, legal and legislative advocacy, industry-specific research and economic data, and more—renew by Dec. 31 to keep the full range of member benefits for another year—and get a tax advantage as well.

U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 2.1 million temporary and contract workers per week in the third quarter of 2024, a decline of 38,000 jobs from the previous quarter, according to data released today by the American Staffing Association.

Staffing employment continued to feel the effects of a cooling labor market, and the association’s quarterly Staffing Employment and Sales Survey indicated that the average weekly number of temporary and contract workers in the field in the third quarter contracted by 1.8% from the second quarter and 11.7% on a year-to-year basis. Staffing employment has declined for seven consecutive quarters.

Temporary and contract staffing sales totaled $30.7 billion in the third quarter of 2024, a 0.7% decline from the previous quarter and an 11.4% decline from the third quarter of the previous year. As in 2023, this contraction again bucks the seasonal trend of consistent sequential growth within most of the staffing industry from the second to fourth quarters.

Nevertheless, private staffing companies expect their 1Q25 revenue to increase a median of 5.0% year-to-year, with larger companies ($100 million in sales or higher) expecting a median projection of 2.0%.

“Following the postpandemic hiring spree in 2021 and 2022, businesses found themselves with full and overflowing talent benches. Then, in the face of growing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, employers hit the pause button on hiring, dampening staffing industry sales and employment,” said ASA chief executive officer Richard Wahlquist. “However, the staffing industry is looking forward to a return to growth in 2025 as conditions normalize and increases in labor market demand begin to spread across more than just a handful of industry sectors. In 2025 the staffing industry will continue doing what it does best—putting Americans to work.”