Global revenue of private employment agencies fell by 1% to euro232 billion (US$327.01 billion) in 2008, according to the 2010 annual economic report released today by the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Ciett).

The U.S., Japan and the United Kingdom together represented 57% of total global sales in 2008.

The number of those working through employment agencies around the world also fell by 1% to approximately 9.5 million full-time equivalents on a daily basis in 2008, according to the report. However, the number of agency workers worldwide had doubled from approximately 4.8 million in 1998.

Overall, there were 71,000 private employment agencies in 2008 with 171,000 branches worldwide employing 819,000 internal staff.    

To download a copy of the full report, click here.