Staffing industry sets employment records, study shows

The staffing industry's second-quarter employment of 3 million workers set a record, according to the American Staffing Association.
The agency said the number of second-quarter workers was about 3,000 more than in the second quarter 2006.

The staffing index found that on a quarter-over-quarter basis, staffing employment performed stronger, with 4.8 percent more workers employed in the second quarter of this year than in the first.

Temporary help sales in the second quarter totaled $18.5 billion, 2.3 percent higher than in the second quarter of 2006 and 5.9 percent higher than in the first quarter of this year.

ASA also said that 2007 second-quarter sales growth reversed a year-long trend of market deceleration.

"The staffing industry continues to be a great source of jobs for Americans, even with tight labor markets for jobs demanding high-level skills," said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. "Second-quarter employment trends correlate nicely with previously released data from the ASA Staffing Index."