Here is a list of research reports, and citations to other research, released last week by Staffing Industry Analysts.

INSIGHT - Per diem vs. travel nurse staffing 2008
Per diem nursing makes up the lion's share of healthcare staffing, but it is a segment that has been struggling and continues to struggle. Meanwhile, travel nurse staffing, while a smaller piece of the pie, is growing steadily at around 8% to 9% a year.

Why the difference? Will growth rates continue for travel nursing? Will travel nursing continue to take market share away from per diem nursing? Will per diem nursing cease to exist - at least as we know it today?

In this Insight, industry insiders give their views on travel and per diem nursing staffing in the year ahead. For more, click here.

INSIGHT - Internal employee trends in the staffing industry
This Insight looks into trends in internal employees for the staffing industry, examining growth in internal hiring at staffing firms, growth in wages for internal employees and turnover rates of internal employees of staffing firms. For more, click here.

BRIEFING - Fourth quarter brings big deals
A number of notable staffing mergers made news in the fourth quarter.

The biggest was Randstad Holding NV's bid for fellow Dutch staffing firm Vedior NV. The buy would create the world's second-largest staffing company with combined revenue of euro17.3 billion (US$23.32 billion), according to Randstad. The deal is set to close in March or April.

A few other big acquisitions:
-Recruit Inc.'s move to acquire Staff Service Holding in Japan
-Spherion Corp.'s purchase of Technisource
-CBS Personnel Holdings' deal to acquire Staffmark
-TrueBlue Inc.'s buy of PlaneTechs LLC
-The Select Family of Companies' purchase of Tandem Staffing Solutions

For more, click here.

BRIEFING — December Employment Situation
Temp turnaround stalls; Nonfarm gain lowest in four years; Unemployment spikes up; Place and search hiring flat. For the complete story, click here.

CITATION — Worker Misclassification, Co-Employment, and the Efficacy of Assignment Limits
This citation directs readers to "Worker Misclassification, Co-Employment, and the Efficacy of Assignment Limits - How not to Solve the 'Microsoft' Problem."  In this article, Alden Bianchi, attorney at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., addresses the discrepancy between the intended, as opposed to the actual, function of assignment limits. For more, click here.

CITATION - Microsoft, Time Warner and the Perils of Worker Misclassification
This citation directs readers to "Microsoft, Time Warner and the Perils of Worker Misclassification." The paper, written by veteran practicing attorney Alden Bianchi, provides an insightful, thorough analysis of a convoluted and litigious question, namely, how can companies best manage the tax and benefits risks inherent in classifying some workers with temporary, part-time, and/or independent contractor status? For more, click here.