Staffing Shows Shift in New Numbers—May Have Suppy Chain Implications

As noted in 24/7, new hires in the trucking sector surfaced as a positive signal for supply chain managers.

But there’s other good news, say staffing experts.

Staffing firms created 19,700 new jobs in September, up 0.7% over August and 8.6% over September last year, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Year-over-year growth has slightly moderated from around 9% at the beginning of the year and an average of 8.8% over the past 12 months.

Nonseasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that temporary help employment increased 2.2% from August and 8.1% from the same month last year.

“As economic conditions continue to slowly improve, businesses are strategically increasing the size of their workforces. They’re hiring more workers and—to maintain agility—they’re expanding their flexible workforces,” said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association. “This means that staffing and recruiting firms are able to help more job seekers find temporary and permanent employment.”

Total U.S. nonfarm payroll employment rose by 248,000 jobs in September (seasonally adjusted), BLS reported. Incorporating revisions for July and August, monthly job gains averaged 224,000 over the past three months, up from an average of 213,000 per month since September of last year. Gains were led by 81,000 jobs professional and business services (which includes staffing), 35,000 in retail trade, and 23,000 in health care.

The unemployment rate decreased to 5.9% in September versus 6.1% in August. Over the year, the unemployment rate is down by 1.3 percentage points. BLS also released preliminary August employment data for search and placement services. Seasonally adjusted, employment increased 1.1% from July to August, totaling 324,700—the greatest number of search and placement jobs since September 2001 and 12.2% more than August 2013.

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