Thanks to economic improvement, the staffing industry increased employment markedly in 2013, according to the American Staffing Association. The total amount of temporary and contract workers in 2013 was 11 million. The average amount of workers employed through temporary or contract work in 2013 was 3 million, a 4 percent increase from 2012.
Temporary employment is beneficial as sales from temporary or contract workers totaled $109.2 billion in 2013, a 4.3 percent increase from 2012. Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and CEO, said in a statement the need for temporary staffing for businesses is important.
"Staffing and recruiting companies are employment experts, matching millions of people and their skills and lifestyle needs with millions of jobs every day," Wahlquist said. "Staffing firms provide temporary, contract, and permanent employment opportunities – at no cost for job seekers – in virtually all occupations across all sectors of the economy."
Payrolls for the staffing industry also grew as ASA reported companies hired an average amount of 3.2 million workers a week during fourth quarter 2013. A 3.8 percent increase from the third quarter and a 6.1 percent jump from fourth quarter 2012.