Staffing Stats

Staffing Trends to Watch This Spring

Contract Staffing Employment
According to the American Staffing Association, staffing employment inched up during the week of Mar. 9–15, with the ASA Staffing Index increasing slightly by 0.1% to a rounded value of 87. Staffing jobs were 5.3% higher compared with the same period last year, up half a point from 4.8% recorded the previous week.

What does this mean for your staffing agency?
Utilizing contract labor is a smart way for businesses to navigate the uncertain economy. Use the Staffing Index data as a conversation starter. This is a near real-time indicator of hiring activity and sharing this information positions your firm as a labor market advisor.   

Lay Off Data

March cuts rise 25% from February
According to a report released Thursday April 2nd from global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, US based employers announced 60,620 job cuts in March.  Although this is up 25% from the 48,307 cuts announced in February, it is DOWN 78% from the 275,240 cuts announced during the same month LAST YEAR.  

Which industry cut the most in Q1 2026?
Technology announced 18,720 job cuts in March for a total of 52,050 so far in 2026.

Click here for the full Challenger Report

What does this mean for your staffing agency?
Companies are shifting budgets toward AI investments at the expense of jobs. The importance of upskilling and reskilling cannot be overstated. Workers need to familiarize themselves with AI.  Additionally, many companies are now including goals for their employees on AI use. They are redefining job descriptions based on what AI can do. These are important discussions to have with both your clients and your candidates. 

Job Growth

According to the March ADP employment report, key findings include:

• Job Growth: Added net +62,000 private sector jobs in March 2026. 
• Sector Highlights: Most of the new jobs this month came from Construction (+30,000) jobs and Education/Health Services (+58,000) while the Trade/Transportation/Utilities sector decreased by 58,000 jobs.
• Regional Growth: The South is where the action was adding a total of 101,000 jobs while other regions had minimal growth or lost jobs.
• Job Pay: Median change in annual pay for job-stayers was 4.5% but the change in annual pay for job-changers was 6.6%

ADP’s Chief Economist, Nela Richardson states “Overall hiring is steady, but job growth continues to favor certain industries, including health care. In March, this solid performance was accompanied by a boost in pay gains for job-changers.”

What does this mean for your staffing agency?
We’ve been in a low churn environment for many months, but ADP’s March report shows that job change was accompanied by a higher increase in pay rate. 6.6% vs. 4.5%. The continued pay premium for job-changers underscores the importance of actively engaging passive candidates and advising clients on competitive compensation positioning your agency as a strategic partner in both talent acquisition and retention.

Labor Data

According to TED: The Economics Daily dated April 10^th, 4.9% of the civilian labor workforce are veterans. 

In 2025, there were 168.5 million people age 18 and over in the civilian labor force. Of those, 4.9 percent (8.3 million) were military veterans.

What does this mean for your staffing agency? 
With over 8 million veterans participating in the workforce, staffing agencies have access to a sizable and often underleveraged talent pool that can set them apart from competitors. Veterans bring highly transferable skills such as leadership, adaptability, and technical expertise that align well with many in-demand roles, making them strong candidates across a variety of industries. At the same time, many client companies want to hire veterans but struggle to translate military experience into civilian job requirements, creating an opportunity for staffing firms to step in as trusted advisors. By helping your clients better understand, attract, and integrate veteran talent, agencies can deepen relationships, add strategic value, and ultimately drive more placements.