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About the ASA Staffing Index
The ASA Staffing Index tracks weekly changes in temporary and contract employment. Survey results are typically posted nine days after the close of a given work week, providing a near real-time gauge of staffing industry employment and overall economic activity.
The ASA Staffing Index as an Indicator
Many experts agree—and ASA research confirms—that staffing industry employment serves as a coincident economic indicator and a leading indicator of total U.S. nonfarm employment. The ASA Staffing Index bears watching as a near real-time measure of weekly trends in staffing industry employment and current economic conditions, as well as of future overall employment trends.
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report
ASA releases a monthly report on the index that offers a preview of the nonseasonally adjusted temporary help employment numbers reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its monthly employment situation report (generally issued the first Friday of the month). The ASA Staffing Index monthly report, released more than a week before the BLS employment situation report, compares weeks containing the 12th of each month, making it comparable to the reference period used by BLS.
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ASA Staffing Index Weekly Report:
April 30–May 6, 2012
During the week of April 30–May 6, 2012, temporary and contract employment remained relatively unchanged from the previous week. Week-to-week temporary and contract employment increased 0.09%, maintaining the ASA Staffing Index at a value of 93. The index is currently up 24.4% since the beginning of the year and is 7.4% higher year-over-year.
ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report:
April 2012
Staffing employment in April is up 6.9% from April 2011, according to the ASA Staffing Index. The index value for April is 91, up two points from the 89 reported for March. Typically, staffing employment peaks between mid-November and mid-December each year, after which it dramatically declines for several weeks before turning upward in mid-January. According to the index, since the beginning of 2012, temporary and contract employment has grown 22.0%.
Additional Information
Participation Information
All U.S. staffing firms are invited to participate in the ASA Staffing Index survey. There are no fees for participation, and the survey takes only a couple of minutes each week to complete. Participants receive three e-mails per week: an invitation sent Thursday night to complete the survey by Monday evening, a Monday morning reminder, and a report on the weekly results (usually sent Tuesday morning).
Survey Details
- The baseline value for the ASA Staffing Index was set at 100 in June 2006.
- Results are reported typically nine days after the close of the work week.
- The methodology mirrors that of the quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey, based on a model developed by Standard and Poor's DRI/McGraw Hill in 1992.
- Data for the index are gathered by ASA research partner Inavero, a market research firm based in Portland, OR. Data are obtained through a secure Web-based questionnaire accessed via a customized invitation e-mail sent to participants.
- Participants receive a weekly e-mail report on the survey results, which includes performance based on company size in four annual sales categories: less than $7.5 million, $7.5–$25 million, $25–$100 million, and more than $100 million.
ASA Staffing Index Mailing List
A weekly Staffing Index report is available via e-mail to economists, journalists, analysts, researchers, policy makers, and other industry observers. Contact Melissa Beattie at mbeattie@americanstaffing.net to be added to the distribution list.
The ASA Staffing Index survey is conducted by ASA research partner Inavero. 
Contact
Alexandra Karaer
Director of Research
703-253-2048
akaraer@americanstaffing.net
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