U.S. staffing companies employed an average of 2.8 million temporary and contract workers per week in the first quarter of 2020, according to data released today by the American Staffing Association—falling below three million for the first time in six years amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Staffing employment decreased 8.9% in the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019—the largest year-to-year decline seen in the past decade.
“While the decrease in staffing employment has been significant during the pandemic, staffing agencies continue to provide personnel across all essential occupations necessary to ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health, safety, and well-being,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “As businesses begin to reopen, job seekers can look to the staffing industry for increased access to immediate employment.”
