Temporary staffing revenue fell a median 10% year over year in October among staffing firms taking part in SIA’s latest Pulse report. The decrease was greater than the 7% decline recorded in the previous Pulse report covering August.

The new report also asked staffing firms about their biggest challenge. The top answer was a slowdown in new orders/requisitions, cited by 40%. Difficulty attracting talent was cited by 14%.

The Pulse survey also looked at revenue by skill segment.

It found travel nursing revenue fell by a median 21% year over year in October. It was followed by per diem nursing, which saw a decrease of 14%. IT staffing revenue fell 4% year over year, while industrial staffing revenue fell 2%.

One bright spot was locum tenens, where revenue rose by a median 20% year over year in October.

Growth was flat in four staffing segments in October: engineering, finance/accounting, legal and office/clerical. Direct hire revenue was also flat year over year.

The survey included 178 staffing companies.

Corporate members can download the US Staffing Industry Pulse Survey Report: November 2023 Update. However, the full Pulse report is available only to companies that took part in the survey. For more information on participating in the next survey, contact cstarkey@staffingindustry.com.