Allegiance Staffing wins ASA Staffing Voice Award.  The ASA Staffing Award competition honors the vision, originality, innovation, creativity and effectiveness of advertising, public relations and publications in the staffing industry.  Sixteen categories –  judged by a panel of communication experts selected Allegiance Staffing 13-week postcard, self mailer and letter campaign.  Allegiance Staffing post card campaign asked decision makers to consider the best staffing value, rather than price when choosing staffing services.

During the week of Sept. 20–26, 2010, temporary and contract employment rose 1.36%, pushing the ASA Staffing Index up to 100. The last time the weekly index hit 100 was during the week of May 12, 2008, meaning current employment in the staffing industry has returned to a level comparable to that of approximately 29 months ago—just before employment in the staffing industry contracted in response to the recession, which the National Bureau of Economic Research said began in December 2007.

The fact that the index is now at 100 indicates that U.S. staffing employment is approximately 25% higher than in the same weekly period last year.

The ASA Staffing Index at 100 serves as a milestone in observing staffing employment trends—much like the 10,000-point mark in the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index. The ASA Staffing Index was launched at 100 in June 2006. It grew beyond 100 most of the rest of that year and continued to grow in 2007, peaking at 110 during the fourth quarter of 2007, when the economy peaked, according NBER. With the economy in recession, the ASA Staffing Index hovered around 100 in the first few months of 2008, then began slipping moderately until September when it plunged sharply to 69 at the end of the year.

Now, having returned to the milestone of 100, the index indicates that staffing employment has returned to levels comparable to the early part of 2008—and reminiscent of the summer of 2006 when the staffing industry was growing.

Accountant Named 2011 National Staffing Employee of the Year
Debby Johnson Chooses Contract Employment to Balance Work and Family

The American Staffing Association announced that accountant Debby Johnson has been named the 2011 National Staffing Employee of the Year. The announcement marks the beginning of National Staffing Employee Week, Sept. 13–19.

“ASA salutes Debby and the contributions of the millions of temporary and contract employees on assignments in the U.S. every business day,” says Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. “In every occupation, from the production line to the executive suite, temporary and contract employees are a vital and growing part of the U.S. work force.”

“Debby’s assignment managers have described her as a top-notch problem solver—someone who is creative and is able to find solutions,” says Jennifer Dodge, the Accounting Principals managing director who nominated Johnson for the distinction. “She always finds a way to wow clients.”

Choosing challenging assignments is one of two main reasons Johnson prefers a contract career; the other is the flexibility.

“I have been blessed with assignments that have offered me flexibility when I need it,” says Johnson, who recounted how a customized work schedule gave her time to care for her mother when she fell ill and allowed her to increase her work hours when her husband transitioned his career. Flexible contract employment lets Debby add hours during the busy end-of-the-month accounting cycle and scale back when her children are on vacation from school.

“Debby is a living example of how someone can deliver quality work while meeting her personal commitments outside of the workplace,” says Dodge.

“Contract work allows me to fit my job around my life as opposed to fitting my life around my job,” says Johnson. “Contract work is my fit.”

Johnson will be formally honored Oct. 14 in Las Vegas during a special ceremony at Staffing World® 2010, the ASA annual convention and expo, where she will be celebrated by staffing industry professionals from around the country.

ASA Staffing Index

The ASA Staffing Index estimates weekly changes in the number of people employed in temporary and contract work. ASA developed the index to provide a current measure of staffing industry employment trends.

The index helps answer the question, “How’s business?” It allows staffing companies to evaluate their performance against a national metric on both a weekly and long-term basis.

The ASA Staffing Index also serves as a valuable resource for economists, journalists, analysts, researchers, and policy makers who are interested in current trends in staffing employment. Participants account for more than one-third of industry sales offices.

Two numbers are reported weekly. The first is the weekly percentage change in staffing employment. The second is the index itself, which shows staffing employment trends over time. Both numbers are normally posted on the ASA Web site on Tuesday mornings.

Survey Details

• Data are reported typically nine days after the close of the work week.
• The methodology mirrors that of the quarterly ASA Staffing Employment and Sales Survey, based on a model developed by Standard and Poor’s DRI in 1992.
• The baseline value for the ASA Staffing Index was set at 100 in June 2006. Data for the index are gathered by ASA corporate partner Inavero Institute for Service Research, a market research firm based in Portland, OR.
• Data are obtained through a secure Web-based questionnaire, accessed via a customized invitation e-mail sent to participants every Thursday night.
• Participants receive a weekly e-mail report on the survey results, which includes performance based on company size in four annual sales categories: less than $7.5 million, $7.5–$25 million, $25–$100 million, and more than $100 million.
• A monthly summary of the weekly results is available via e-mail to economists, journalists, analysts, researchers, policy makers, and other industry observers

Staffing, Jobs, and the Economy

U.S. staffing companies employ more than two million temporary and contract employees per day—and 11 million over the course of a year, according to the American Staffing Association. The most recent projections of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the U.S. staffing industry will add more new jobs between 2006 and 2016 than just about any other industry. While total U.S. nonfarm employment is expected to increase by 11% in that period, BLS projects nearly twice that rate of job growth—almost 19%—in employment services, which is mostly staffing.

Why is the staffing industry growing faster than the economy? Work force flexibility. Workers want it, businesses need it, and it’s good for the economy.

Jobs, flexibility, a bridge to permanent employment, alternative employment arrangements, training—these are the benefits staffing firms offer today’s workers. Work force flexibility and access to talent—these are the benefits staffing firms bring to businesses. Jobs, labor market flexibility, efficient bridging to permanent jobs, and training—these are the benefits the industry brings to the economy.

A 2006 ASA survey of more than 13,000 temporary and contract employees showed that the vast majority of staffing employees see temporary and contract work as a path to permanent employment. And most of those who want a permanent job find one. Meanwhile, many were mostly interested in the flexibility that staffing employment provides. The survey also revealed that staffing employees are more satisfied with their work than the overall U.S. work force. Nine of 10 staffing employees said they would refer a friend or relative to work as a temporary or contract employee.

In 2004, ASA polled 500 businesses that use staffing services. Nine of 10 said it was important to them that “staffing companies offer flexibility to businesses so that they can keep fully staffed during busy times. The ASA poll also showed that businesses tap staffing companies for quality talent in virtually all occupational sectors, from call centers to factories to medical laboratories.

An economic study published in Decision Sciences journal concluded that increased reliance on temporary staffing “is associated with superior subsequent performance…[and] no increase in systematic risk. The authors compared firms in a carefully constructed sample and found that earnings (before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), gross margins, and stock returns improved after the increased use of this labor practice.

Another factor that makes the staffing industry an essential component of overall economic health is its positive impact on unemployment. When economists Lawrence Katz of Harvard University and Alan Krueger of Princeton University studied the dramatic drop in unemployment in the 1990s, they concluded that staffing industry growth was responsible for up to 40% of the reduction. They argued that staffing firms, as labor market intermediaries, improve the efficiency of matching workers to jobs.

Many experts agree—and ASA research confirms—that staffing industry employment serves as a coincident economic indicator and a leading indicator of total U.S. nonfarm employment. The ASA Staffing Index bears watching as a near real-time measure of weekly trends in staffing industry employment and current economic conditions, as well as future overall employment trends. For more information on the importance of the staffing industry to employees, businesses, and the economy, read American Staffing 2009: Looking for Growth, the ASA annual economic analysis of the U.S. staffing industry.

Allegiance Staffing announced today that it has been named to Inavero’s inaugural Best of Staffing  list Best of Staffing, presented in partnership with Career Builders, is the nations only client satisfaction award that recognizes exceptional client service in the staffing and recruiting industry.  The 2010 Best of Staffing winner are truly set apart from the rest of the industry through their extraordinary level of client satisfaction.   http://www.bestofstaffing.com/2010-best-of-staffing-client/