Staffing employment for the week of Nov. 8–14 grew 0.5% from the prior week, bringing the ASA Staffing Index to a rounded value of 108—a new record high. The index has now maintained a value of 100 or greater for the ninth consecutive week. Covid-19 and temporary-to-hire conversions were cited by several staffing companies as factors limiting even further growth in temporary and contract staffing employment. Staffing jobs were up 21.8% from the same week last year.
Following three weeks of declines, new starts expanded 1.6% on average, with four in 10 staffing companies (43%) reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average increased to a value of 107. Temporary and contract staffing employment for the four weeks ending Nov. 14 was 22.4% higher than the same period in 2020.
“Staffing employment continues to grow heading into the holidays, reaching record highs in recent weeks,” said Tim Hulley, ASA assistant director of research.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the November monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Dec. 3.
