With the rate of coronavirus spread decelerating across the country, and as businesses continue to adapt their operations to function during the pandemic, the US economy continues to gradually improve. Indeed, the consensus among economists — such as this concise summary from the Conference Board — is that the US GDP will only shrink by 4.9% this year, a big improvement from the 7.0% decline predicted in July. The current outlook continues to envision a “swoosh”-shaped recovery, with slow but steady progress in each consecutive month after the steep declines of March and April.

Similarly, business conditions for IT staffing firms appear to be gradually improving each month, according to SIA’s August Pulse Survey of the US staffing industry. The 53 IT staffing firm participants reported a median year-over-year revenue decline of 2% in July, the best year-over-year result since March. IT staffing firms also signaled a bullish outlook with a net 70% of firms expecting an increasing trend of new orders over the next six months. Additional selected findings from the August Pulse Survey can be found here.

For the most cutting-edge look at the latest trends in IT staffing, we invite you to register for SIA’s Staffing Industry Report Webinar on Thursday, Sept. 10, which will feature commentary from Brian Wallins, SIA’s research manager and analyst covering IT staffing. Wallins will share his latest insights on IT staffing based on his ongoing research, as well as highlight his major reports such as the 2020 IT Staffing Growth Assessment.