Hours worked in the US staffing industry fell 12% year over year in the week ended Dec. 3, according to the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator, released today.

The decline was driven by a slowdown in demand for both commercial and professional staffing.

Compared to the previous week, hours were down 8.4%.

Professional staffing hours were down 14% year over year. Over the past five weeks, hours worked in professional occupations fell by an average year-over-year growth rate of 3%. The year-to-date average year-over-year growth rate for professional staffing hours now stands at 12%.

Hours worked in commercial occupations fell 12% year over year. Over the past five weeks, hours worked in commercial occupations dropped by an average year-over-year growth rate of 11%. The year-to-date average year-over-year growth rate for commercial staffing hours now stands at 0%.

During the last five weeks, commercial staffing hours dropped by an average of 4.0% week over week, while professional staffing hours fell an average 5.3%; overall, hours in the US staffing industry fell an average 4.3% week over week.

The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator measures hours worked. It comprises two sets of analyses: a year-over-year comparison showing how the most recent week compared to the same week 12 months previously and an indexed value that has been benchmarked against data from the week ended Jan. 19, 2019.

In the week ended Dec. 3, the index value was 85, following readings of 93 and 106 in the prior two weeks as revised.

The full report on the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator, which provides additional information, is available online.