Examining the trends of the past week, it is evident that staffing levels for both professional and commercial remain below levels of the prior year. The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator has released weekly data that reflects the decrease in temporary staffing hours worked in comparison to the same week 12 months ago. The overall US Staffing indexed value was 94 for the week ending July 22nd, with professional and commercial staffing indexed values of 127 and 79 respectively. Year-over-year, temporary staffing hours in commercial occupations were down -9%, while professional temporary staffing hours decreased by -9%. Comparing week to week, temporary staffing hours rose 7.2%, with commercial and professional staffing hours increasing 7.4% and 6.5% respectively.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Report for July 2023 (released on July 7th) reported a 3.1% decrease in temporary help employment from the first half of the year. This coincides with the decrease reflected in the Staffing Indicator, further emphasizing a high plateau that signals the existence of opportunities for competitive staffing firms. For a deeper look into the dynamics of different skill segments of staffing, readers may refer to the Staffing Industry Analysts’ latest forecast report published on April 4th
