News Release

May 26, 2009

Staffing industry employment was significantly lower in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the same period last year, according to survey data released today by the American Staffing Association.

America's staffing companies employed an average of two million temporary and contract workers per day from January through March—down 27.9% or 769,000 jobs from the first quarter of last year. This was the sixth consecutive quarter of year-to-year declines in employment. The last time the staffing industry experienced a similar prolonged year-to-year contraction was during the 2001 recession and subsequent recovery period.

"These employment numbers are not surprising," says Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. "Since early January, the ASA Staffing Index—which measures weekly changes in staffing industry employment—has consistently shown employment about 27% below the same period last year. However, the recent performance of the index as well as anecdotal reports from ASA member staffing firms suggest that the industry may be seeing signs of stabilization."

U.S. sales of temporary and contract staffing totaled $13 billion in the first quarter of this year. This is a decline of 26.5%—a drop of $4.7 billion—when compared with sales reported for the first quarter of 2008. This is the largest year-to-year decrease in quarterly sales reported by the industry since ASA began conducting its quarterly staffing employment and sales survey in 1992.

To view historical data from the ASA quarterly survey (1992 to present) or weekly measures of staffing employment, visit americanstaffing.net and click on Staffing Employment and Sales Survey or Staffing Index, respectively.

Interviews with ASA executives are available.

The American Staffing Association promotes legal, ethical, and professional practices for the $86 billion U.S. staffing industry. ASA members account for 85% of U.S. staffing industry sales and operate more than 15,000 offices throughout the nation. Some 2.7 million Americans go to work for U.S. staffing companies every business day.

Founded to promote flexible employment opportunities and ensure the quality of staffing services, ASA has been the voice of the U.S. staffing industry since 1966. Members provide a wide range of employment services and solutions, including temporary and contract staffing, recruiting and permanent placement, outplacement and outsourcing, training, and human resource consulting. ASA and its affiliated chapters promote the interests of the industry through legal and legislative advocacy, public relations, education, and the establishment of high standards of ethical conduct.

Contact
Alexandra Karaer
Director of Research
703-253-2048
akaraer@americanstaffing.net