The number of workers employed per week by the US staffing industry edged down 0.6% in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago, according to data released by the American Staffing Association. Sequentially, staffing employment increased 2.1% from the second quarter to the third quarter.

“While industry growth has eased slightly, average weekly staffing employment increased by 68,000 in the third quarter of 2016,” said ASA President and CEO Richard Wahlquist. “With the high degree of economic and political uncertainty during the third quarter, businesses remained cautious about increasing the size of their permanent and flexible workforces.”