Temporary bill rates rose in the first quarter, according to the latest IQNdex, a summary of bill rates for temporary staffing released by vendor management system provider IQNavigator. The first-quarter increase extends a slow rise that took place throughout last year.

The index rose to a reading of 107.3 in March, up from a reading of 106.7 in January at the start of the first quarter.

“While the overall job market remains weak, the first-quarter IQNdex report shows that demand for nonpermanent workers in the US is strong, indicating that employers are utilizing temporary labor as a means of expanding their workforce rather than traditional full-time employees,” said Gary Pollard, vice president, information products, at IQNavigator.

Bill rates rose throughout the first quarter in three of the four jobs sectors tracked in the IQNdex: light industrial, office/clerical and technical-IT.

In the professional-managerial sector, however, the index indicated bill rates decreased.

The increase in technical-IT bill rates followed a two-year trend. In light industrial, leading the movement for higher bill rates were higher skill roles including mechanics and machine operators. Jobs showing the greatest increase in bill rates in the office/clerical sector included mail room clerk, customer service rep and administrative assistant.

In the professional-managerial sector, jobs where bill rates decreased included marketing assistant and non-IT business analyst.