Staffing Employment Ticks Up in Third Quarter

From 2Q25 to 3Q25: Employment Up 0.3%, Sales Down 1.3%

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Staffing Association's quarterly Staffing Employment and Sales Survey found that U.S. staffing companies employed an average of just under two million temporary and contract workers per week in the third quarter of 2025—an increase of 6,400 workers from the second quarter.

Year-to-year quarterly comparisons also improved. The quarterly gap in year-to-year staffing employment narrowed in the third quarter to 7.5%, compared with the year-to-year decline of 9.4% recorded in the second quarter.

Notably, weekly data from the ASA Staffing Index shows hiring momentum beginning late in the third quarter. Beginning with the week ending Sept. 12, the ASA Staffing Index shows 14 weeks of year-to-year growth in staffing employment.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis, temporary and contract staffing employment and sales typically decline in the first quarter, grow in subsequent quarters, and peak in the fourth quarter.

Even as staffing employment edged up 0.3% from the second quarter, staffing sales declined 1.3% during the same period, suggesting that the industry, much like the rest of the economy, is feeling the effects of smaller profit margins as companies grapple with high borrowing and labor costs, as well as tariffs.

Totaling $28.1 billion in the third quarter of 2025, staffing sales were down 8.5% from the third quarter of 2024, deteriorating slightly from the 8.0% year-to-year decline recorded in the previous quarter.  

"The third quarter showed signs of recovery for staffing employment, even as sales remained soft. Although staffing hiring may be stabilizing, thin profit margins and fiercer competition are keeping revenue growth constrained," said Stephen Dwyer, ASA president.

To learn more about the quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey, visit americanstaffing.net/quarterly-survey, or follow ASA research on Twitter.

About the American Staffing Association
The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.

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SOURCE American Staffing Association