Temporary help employment grew 0.3% from August to September, adding 10,600 jobs over the month, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Staffing employment was 2.9% higher than in September 2017. Year-to-year staffing job growth has averaged 3.3% per month in the first nine months of 2018, significantly higher than the average of 2.2% per month for all of 2017.
Non-seasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that temporary help employment increased 2.0% from August to September. Year to year, unadjusted, there were 3.1% more staffing employees in September than in the same month last year. The unemployment rate declined to 3.7%, the lowest since 1969.
“Despite the apparent effect of Hurricane Florence on the overall jobs numbers, the September gains extended an eight-year streak of consecutive job growth, by far the longest ever recorded,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “As the labor market continues to tighten, businesses need to focus on new ways of attracting and upskilling candidates to help fill their talent pipelines.”
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