ASA Staffing Index Weekly Report:
Jan. 23–29, 2012

During the week of Jan. 23–29, 2012, temporary and contract employment rose by 1.42%, pushing the ASA Staffing Index up one point to a value of 87. The index is us currently up 16.1% since the beginning of the year and is 3.6% higher year-over-year.

Staffing industry employment the week before Christmas showed greater strength than usual—compared with the same period of previous years as well as the months leading up to the holiday. After falling 18 points during the weeks that included Christmas and New Year's Day, the index has recovered 12 points over the subsequent five weeks.

ASA Staffing Index Monthly Report:
January 2012

Staffing employment in January is 7.5% lower than it was in December, according to the ASA Staffing Index. The index for January is 86, down seven points from the 93 reported for December. Typically, staffing employment peaks somewhere between mid-November and mid-December, after which it plummets unfettered for several weeks before turning upward in mid-January. Comparing the index for January 2012 to January 2011 shows staffing employment up 4.0% year-to-year. Read more.

Participation Information

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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

This survey is conducted by ASA research partner Inavero.

Additional Information

• 13-week graph
• Historical data
• 52-week graph, June 2006 to present
• Weekly report holiday schedule
• Monthly report schedule