Staffing hours down slightly across sectors
US staffing hours were down .5% compared to the previous week. Commercial staffing was down .4% and professional was down 1.6%.
*Indexed value of US staffing hours benchmarked against the week ending January 19, 2019.
Staffing Industry Analysts' perspective
Hours worked in the US staffing industry in the week ending November 9th decreased by -7% year-over-year. Commercial staffing hours were down -6% while Professional staffing hours were down -13%. The slight ramp in staffing volume over the past month matches a common seasonal pattern of increased activity related to end-of-year holiday consumer spending.
We note that the four-week rolling average Indicator values remain at their highest levels for US Staffing (Year-to-Date), Commercial staffing (Year-to-Date) and Professional staffing (highest level since the Labor Day holiday).
The post-Labor Day momentum for Commercial staffing hours appears stronger than a year ago. When comparing the post-Labor Day periods in 2023 and 2024 (the median week-on-week growth rates between the Labor Day week and the week ending November 9th, or the corresponding week a year ago), Commercial hours increased sequentially at a median rate of 0.7% in 2024, compared with 0.3% last year. By contrast the momentum for Professional staffing was stronger last year: hours increased sequentially at a median rate of 0.5% in 2024, compared with 2.1% last year.
However, Professional staffing hours increased strongly during the last quarter of 2023, while Commercial staffing hours only ramped up moderately. This partially explains the apparent diversion between Professional staffing and Commercial staffing respective Year-over-year trends.
The US staffing industry is a large and dynamic market that continues to offer big opportunities
The volume of hours remains below last year’s levels. The year-over-year decline in the Indicator is directionally in line with the decline in temporary help employment as reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Employment Situation reports. The November 2024 US Jobs Report (published on November 1st) estimates that employment in the temporary help services industry fell by -7.0% in October 2024, on a Y/Y basis; and declined by -1.8% when compared with September 2024.
With the US economy continuing to show a GDP growth rate of more than 2%, and the US elections now behind us, we are keeping our eyes open for signs of an eventual uptick in demand for temporary staffing.
Competitive pressures remain elevated but there are continuing and large opportunities for those staffing firms that have developed a competitive advantage via either their technology, their service offerings, or both. For more discussion of the market dynamics for each skill segment of staffing, SIA Corporate Members are encouraged to read our latest US Staffing Industry Forecast report, published on September 10th. To read more about the current staffing environment, please see SIA’s Insights on the Recent Downturn in US Temporary Staffing 2024 report.
About the SIA Bullhorn Staffing Industry Indicator
The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator is a unique tool for gauging near real time weekly trends in the volume of temporary staffing delivered by US staffing firms. Each week the Indicator reports data for the week that ended ten days prior to the release. It reflects weekly hours worked by temporary workers across a sample of staffing companies in the US that utilize Bullhorn’s technology solutions. The Indicator is weighted and benchmarked against US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to approximate the composition of the staffing industry by skill. While the indicator does not presume to perfectly reflect the entire universe of US staffing firms, it does represent a sizable sample of the US staffing industry, reflecting a wide range of occupations, client industry verticals, and geographic footprint that spans the country.
The Indicator can be used by staffing firms to benchmark their past and current performance, as well as a tool for forecasting near term industry trends and outlook.
As the US temporary staffing industry has often functioned as a co-incident indicator for the US labor market and economy, the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator is also useful for a broader audience of business leaders and investors who are seeking real-time insight.
The Indicator is a joint custom research effort between Bullhorn and industry advisor Staffing Industry Analysts.
Revisions and Technical notes on the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator
We note the readings for the last 4 weeks are subject to revision and so should be viewed as preliminary, with the reading for the last recorded week the most likely to be revised in next week’s data release. For further information on how the Indicator has been created and detailed technical notes please refer to the methodology.
