According to data provided today by the American Staffing Association, temporary and contract workers in the United States worked an average of 2.7 million per week in the third quarter of 2021, up around 90,600 from the second quarter.
Quarter-to-quarter increases in staffing jobs and employment and revenue have historically followed first-quarter losses. While the second quarter of 2021 deviated from the trend, the third quarter statistics showed a return to growth, with staffing positions up 3.5 percent quarter over quarter and temporary and contract staffing sales up 3.1 percent.
"U.S. businesses are turning to the staffing industry for help in filling millions of current job openings," said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president, and chief executive officer. "The staffing industry is playing an increasingly important role in today's labor market by providing talent sourcing expertise and workforce flexibility to employers in need of workers, and helping candidates find roles that are the right fit."
Staffing positions increased 15.2 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, when the economy was still recovering from the first impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the third quarter, temporary and contract staffing sales totaled $36.1 billion, up 21.8 percent from the third quarter of 2020 including Walmart jobs.
