SIA Staffing Indicator - May 31, 2025

US staffing hours decline due to Memorial Day

US staffing hours were down 7% compared to the previous week because of the Memorial Day holiday. Similar declines were seen in commercial hours, which were down 6.6% and professional, down 8.8%.

**Indexed value of US staffing hours benchmarked against the week ending January 19, 2019.

Year-over-year gap in staffing hours marginally improved

Commentary for the week ending May 31, 2025

  • The overall staffing index went from 74 to 69 as a result of the four-day holiday work week, but the year-over-year comparison to 2024 hours shrank from 4% to 3%.
  • The commercial staffing index was 60 after two weeks at 64, however the year-over-year gap shrinking to just 2%.
  • The professional index declined from 103 to 94, in line with typical Memorial Day trends, but the YoY gap in hours held steady at 7% for a sixth week.

Indicator Values depicts staffing hours indexed against the 2019 baseline, Y/Y Changes depicts the gap in staffing hours compared to the prior year.

The graph is interactive.

Staffing Industry Analysts' perspective

Prior to the holiday, US Staffing hours had recorded three consecutive weeks of moderate sequential improvement. This was primarily driven by Commercial Staffing.

Taken all together, the data suggest that the US Government’s trade policy and related economic uncertainty has, so far, had a limited impact on demand for staffing services.

Two men looking at an open laptop

The US staffing industry is a large and dynamic market that continues to offer big opportunities

Taken all together, the data suggest that the US Government’s trade policy and related economic uncertainty has, so far, had a limited impact on demand for staffing services. The Indicator hints that some areas of the Commercial Staffing segment are still seeing steady demand, possibly fueled by clients attempting to stock inventories ahead of new tariffs and during pauses in the implementation of new tariffs.

There are clear indications that, as suggested by the May 2025 US Jobs Report (published on May 2nd), the US labor market is gradually cooling. On the other hand, some staffing segments may be currently benefiting from clients rushing projects ahead of the announced tariff hikes. In the medium term, staffing companies will be playing an important role in providing their clients with a flexible workforce that they will need to navigate the current dynamic environment.

About the SIA Bullhorn Staffing Industry Indicator

The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator is a unique tool for gauging near real time weekly trends in the volume of temporary staffing delivered by US staffing firms. Each week the Indicator reports data for the week that ended ten days prior to the release. It reflects weekly hours worked by temporary workers across a sample of staffing companies in the US that utilize Bullhorn’s technology solutions. The Indicator is weighted and benchmarked against US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to approximate the composition of the staffing industry by skill. While the indicator does not presume to perfectly reflect the entire universe of US staffing firms, it does represent a sizable sample of the US staffing industry, reflecting a wide range of occupations, client industry verticals, and geographic footprint that spans the country.

The Indicator can be used by staffing firms to benchmark their past and current performance, as well as a tool for forecasting near term industry trends and outlook.

As the US temporary staffing industry has often functioned as a co-incident indicator for the US labor market and economy, the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator is also useful for a broader audience of business leaders and investors who are seeking real-time insight.

The Indicator is a joint custom research effort between Bullhorn and industry advisor Staffing Industry Analysts.

Revisions and Technical notes on the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator 

We note the readings for the last 4 weeks are subject to revision and so should be viewed as preliminary, with the reading for the last recorded week the most likely to be revised in next week’s data release. For further information on how the Indicator has been created and detailed technical notes please refer to the methodology.

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SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator