Temporary help services jobs rose by 26,300 in January from December while total nonfarm jobs rose by 467,000, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The latest employment numbers illustrate the strength of the US labor market and growth in temporary staffing,” said Barry Asin, president of Staffing Industry Analysts. “This month also includes the annual BLS re-benchmarking exercise, which now shows temp help employment in recent months exceeding pre-pandemic levels.”

On a year-over-year basis, the number of temporary help services jobs was up 9.18% in January.

BLS data also show the temp penetration rate — temp jobs as a percent of total employment — rose to 2.07% in January from 2.05% in December.

CNN reported January’s increase of 467,000 in nonfarm jobs came as a surprise as the US had been forecast to see an increase of only 150,000.

However, the US unemployment rate rose to 4.0% in January from 3.9% in December. And the college-level unemployment rate rose to 2.3% in January from 2.1% in December.

January’s job gains were concentrated in the service sector with the “leisure and hospitality” industry adding 151,000 jobs. The increase reflected gains in “food services and drinking places,” up by 108,000 jobs, and the accommodation industry, up by 23,000 jobs. However, the BLS noted that since February 2020, employment in leisure and hospitality is still down by 1.8 million jobs.

The average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 23 cents in January to $31.63.

More information on the jobs numbers is available in this report by Staffing Industry Analysts.