The American Staffing Association(ASA) recently released the results of its quarterly Staffing Employment and Sales Survey — and the first quarter 2016 findings are very promising. Conducted since 1992, the survey gathers information on temporary and contract staffing sales, payroll, and employment to gauge the current state of the staffing industry.
Recruiters, employers, and temporary workers should be relieved to hear the contingent staffing industry is thriving. Companies appear to be embracing this convenient and affordable staffing solution at a level not realized in the past decade. Professionals are also opting for this type of employment, as it offers a great deal of flexibility, a plethora of learning experience, and seemingly endless networking opportunities.
“Temporary and contract employment is an indicator of where the economy is today,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer in a statement. “The good news at this stage in the current economic cycle is that staffing companies continue to report steady demand for temporary, contract, and permanent employees, providing job seekers with employment opportunities across a variety of sectors.”
3 Key ASA Employment Metrics and Analytics for Q1 2016
Numbers certainly don’t lie, so take a look at these facts and figures gathered from the first three months of 2016 to learn more about the current — flourishing — state of the contract workforce.
- The number of temporary and contract workers is on the rise, as U.S. staffing agencies employed an average of 3.08 million professionals per week — a 3% increase from the same period in 2015.
- Average weekly employment climbed to the highest level realized in the 10-year period since 2006.
- Sales of temporary and contract staffing services reached $30.95 billion, representing a 4.6% increase from the same time span in 2015.
Results from the ASA’s second quarter survey will be available on Sept. 7, so stay tuned to see the impact temporary and contract workers continue to have on the workforce during 2016.
Need assistance handling your rapidly expanding contingent workforce? Contact ECS. We manage staffing engagements in the primary employment categories of Information Technology, Accounting & Finance, Clerical & Administrative, and some categories of Engineering & Architecture. Contact us today to learn more!