New Starts Decrease
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report, March 2021
Staffing employment for the week of March 8–14 was relatively unchanged (+0.05%) from the prior week, according to the ASA Staffing Index, yet there were 11.2% more staffing jobs compared with the same week in 2020. The ongoing effects of Covid-19 were mentioned as a factor limiting even further growth. Four in 10 staffing firms (46%) reported increases in temporary and contract employment.
New starts were down 6.4% on average, with three in 10 staffing companies (32%) reporting gains in new assignments week-to-week.
The ASA Staffing Index four-week moving average rose to a value of 93. Temporary and contract staffing employment mid-February through mid-March expanded 9% year-to-year.
“While the upward trend in staffing jobs that appeared to be emerging last month has flattened, temporary and contract employment is holding steady at levels well above the start of the pandemic in 2020,” said Cynthia Davidson, senior director of research for the American Staffing Association.
This week, containing the 12th day of the month, will be used in the March monthly employment situation report scheduled to be issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on April 2.
The ASA Staffing Index is reported nine days after each workweek, making it a near real-time measure of staffing employment trends. ASA Staffing Starts are the number of temporary and contract employees placed in new assignments during the reporting week. ASA research shows that staffing employment has historically been a coincident economic indicator.
For more information, visit americanstaffing.net/index. Or follow ASA research on Twitter.
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About the American Staffing Association
The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.
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