March BLS Data Shows Temporary Employment Growth

While revised data for January and February reflects temporary help employment losses that were 24,700 higher than previously reported, the monthly job gains in temporary help services averaged 4,600 over the past 12 months, with temporary employment seeing a 1.9% year-on-year increase. 

The unemployment rate was largely unchanged, moving from 4.9 to 5%, as the labor participation rate rose to 63.0%. This is the highest participation rate in two years and up from a low of 62.4% in September 2015.

"The employment numbers this month are fairly typical for what we would expect later in an economic cycle. Solid overall job growth and increased labor force participation is now being counterbalanced by weakness in the temporary employment market, which is a leading indicator for economic growth going forward," said Barry Asin, President of SIA. "With the downward revision of the last several months of temporary employment data, January was one of the weakest we've seen for temporary employment since 2009.  During January we saw significant volatility and declines in the stock market which likely drove the decline in temporary employment that month. While it is a positive sign to see growth again in temporary employment in March, the relatively low level of growth highlights an economy showing signs of slower growth ahead."

The temporary penetration rate remained relatively stable at 2.01% in March, having reached an all-time high of 2.06% in December 2015.

The construction sector had the strongest jobs growth for the month in percentage terms, and leads all sectors over the last 12 months with an increase of 4.7%. The retail trade, healthcare and leisure and hospitality sectors also continued to show healthy gains. Conversely, manufacturing had its largest monthly contraction in more than six years, and the mining sector continued to lose jobs in the face of declining energy prices.

SIA's full April Jobs Report analysis is available for Corporate and CWS Council Members here.

About Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)
SIA is the Global Advisor on Staffing and Workforce Solutions
Founded in 1989, SIA is the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Our proprietary research covers all categories of employed and non-employed work including temporary staffing, independent contracting and other types of contingent labor. As a division of the international business media company, Crain Communications Inc., SIA is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in London, England.  Read more about SIA here.

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