The number of workers employed per week by the US staffing industry edged down 0.3% in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago, according to data released by the American Staffing Association. Additionally, average weekly employment in the second quarter was flat after 25 consecutive quarters of year-to-year additions.

 “These survey results underscore what we have been hearing anecdotally,” ASA President and CEO Richard Wahlquist said. “While staffing companies continue to face talent shortages across a wide range of occupations, the current climate of uncertainty is constraining business investment and slowing economic and employment growth.”

On a quarter-to-quarter basis, staffing employment was up 2.9% from first quarter to second quarter, while temporary and contract staffing sales increased 3.0%. However, staffing employment is typically strongest in the fourth quarter and weakest in the first.