Free Resources

Our Free Resources provide you with a small glimpse into the world of Staffing Industry Analysts’ research. These resources are arranged in the following categories: SIA Custom Research, SIA Research, and Interactive Research Tools. We hope you will find the content of value.

For those that wish to learn more about the broader and deeper research available through one of our annual subscriptions, please visit our Membership pages for:


SIA CUSTOM RESEARCH

  • Proving the Diversity Business Case For the Recruitment and Staffing Industry (NEW)

    Is there a compelling business case for diversity – including both internal staff and external candidates - in the staffing industry? Based on a survey of more than 300 agency executives, our analysis indicates that staffing firms that are early adopters of diversity practices outperform their peers in client win rate, talent access, and overall talent quality. However, barriers, particularly the lack of candidate diversity data, prevent the industry from achieving its benefits.

    The findings of this global research report, commissioned by Access Recruitment, quantify the value of diversity to employers, the benefits and advantages to staffing firms, barriers impacting its widespread adoption, and potential emerging solutions, and present a path forward for the industry.

  • The Evolution of Recruiting: 2024 Update to Estimating the Addressable Market for Recruitment Automation  (UPDATE)

    We live in a time in which the nature of recruiting is evolving dramatically. Advances in technology, particularly those driven by AI, have increasingly augmented or even replaced tasks in the recruitment process. Companies that can keep up with these advancements and leverage them are at an advantage in a highly competitive market.

    In this custom research report, commissioned by Indeed and written a follow-up to our 2022 and 2023 reports, we profile these changes, identify the technologies available today to augment recruiting, and estimate the global, addressable market for Recruitment Automation (RA.) To keep up with the rapid pace of change, this year’s report highlights new developments, provides an update to our market estimates, and forecasts the long-term expected growth by 2030. 

  • The Coming Disruption: How the Staffing Industry Can Prepare for the AI Revolution  (NEW)

    Will AI represent the fundamental disruption of the staffing industry that many have predicted, or result in yet another over-hyped new technology? Based on interviews with leaders of staffing firms, staffing suppliers, VMSs, program owners, private equity firms, and other thought leaders, along with a review of SIA and academic research, our conclusion is clear: disruption is coming.  

    In this custom research report, we outline how nearly 40% of today’s manual processes are expected to be replaced by AI within three years, profile which areas in the funnel will be most impacted, identify the six key dimensions of AI disruption, and present a framework for staffing firms to plot how to proceed and thrive in the coming disruption.  

  • Unleashing the Power of Direct Sourcing: A Pathway to Workforce Optimization  (NEW)

    Over the last few years, direct sourcing has evolved from an approach many struggled to define to one that is practiced at a ‘mature’ level by nearly half of the marketplace, with nearly 80% expecting to have a program in place within two years.  These advances have focused on increasing the sophistication of technique, viewed as a distinct workforce channel. However, many early adopters see even more potential – as an enabler to optimize the workforce itself, viewed as an integrated whole. 

    The purpose of this report, commissioned by MBO Partners, is to share learnings from organizations that have utilized direct sourcing as a pathway to broader workforce optimization. We outline their approaches and challenges, and provide a practical pathway for implementation in your own organization. 

  • DIRECT SOURCING 3.0: Personalization through Automation (NEW)

    Despite the threat of a global recession as of H2 2022, enterprise contingent workforce managers expect to accelerate their direct sourcing investment over the next two years, while increasingly viewing talent access as a key benefit, rather than cost reduction alone. While direct sourcing Leaders follow three common practices – employer branding, curation, and talent pooling software – our research finds that they increasingly have adopted strategies beyond these three to bolster their success, which we describe collectively as personalization through automation. What are these emerging practices, and how can you incorporate them into your business, today? This custom research report, commissioned by WorkLLama, seeks to answer these questions through in-depth discussions with industry leaders as well as a survey among 117 enterprise contingent workforce managers.

  • Unlocking the Potential of Parents in the Contingent Workforce (NEW)

    With the ongoing labor shortage, organizations must find ways to broaden their talent pool, and parents and caregivers offer a large and underutilized source. However, we find that gender bias is pervasive and has a significant impact on corporate practices, while lack of flexibility is the most significant barrier to success among today’s contingent program managers.

    Those who follow advanced practices toward parents and caregivers experience are far more likely to achieve strong ROI and talent attraction amount this group, which represents upwards of 60% of the population.

    What are the essential practices these leaders follow? This custom research report, commissioned by The Mom Project, seeks to answer this question through a data-driven approach supplemented by in-depth interviews with industry leaders.

  • Making Direct Sourcing Work in Your Organization: Best Practices from Industry Leaders (NEW)

    The adoption of direct sourcing accelerated throughout the pandemic, with its impact on both cost efficiency and talent access critical as the global economy contracted in 2020, then rapidly expanded in 2021. The business case for direct sourcing, once in doubt, is now widely accepted, with 60% of organizations expecting to explore the approach within two years.

    However, the rapid growth of direct sourcing has outpaced the development of accepted best practices, with those seeking to adopt the approach often left to their own devices. What are these best practices, and how can you implement them within your organization?

    This custom research report, commissioned by PRO Unlimited, synthesizes the strategies followed by leaders in direct sourcing and offers generalized principles relevant across industries and labor markets.

  • The Emerging Backbone of Contingent Workforce Management Success: Talent, Intelligence and Analysis as a Strategic Advantage (NEW)

    One of the enduring disruptions caused by the pandemic is the imbalance of contingent labor supply and demand. This labor shortage has increased pressure on innovation, and the industry has responded with new approaches toward DE&I, Direct Sourcing, and practices around talent attraction, recruiting, and retention.

    Common to these innovations is an intense focus on data surrounding contingent workers. This "talent intelligence" leverages emerging tools and emphasizes extracting deep insights from expanded data streams. What are these best practices, and how can they be adopted within your organization?

    This custom research report, commissioned by PRO Unlimited, aims to answer these questions, leveraging in-depth interviews with thought leaders and expert practitioners.

  • Platform Approach vs. Point: the Promise of End-to-End Solution Suites in Flexible Workforce Management (NEW)

    The pandemic forced rapid acceleration of digital transformation and has resulted in a proliferation of point solutions, driven by the demand for expanded functionality, improved data analytics, and the need for visibility into an organization’s entire workforce. Yet lack of integration may challenge the hoped-for gains, increasing the administrative burden and cost. Equally as important, this threatens the goal of a seamless candidate experience, critical table stakes in today’s highly competitive labor market.

    How will this model evolve, and what is the potential of integrated, end-to-end solution suites as a solution to this problem? Our aim in this report is to answer these questions and identify best practices, drawing from in-depth interviews with a dozen industry leaders and advanced practitioners, as well as extensive SIA research.

  • The Future of Identity Verification in Contingent Work: Flipping the Paradigm (NEW)

    According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft cases have doubled since the onset of the pandemic. Our research indicates that over a third of the market has experienced an incident of candidate identify fraud, and the vast majority believe this significantly impacts their business. Like cyberattacks, however, these are often hidden from public view.

    Amplifying the problem, 63% of the marketplace believes that all background checks include identity verification, yet this isn’t so. Through in-depth interviews with industry practitioners and thought leaders, along with a survey of 188 staffing companies and others involved with background screening, we highlight identity fraud concerns, common misconceptions, and next-generation approaches that hold the promise of solving many of today’s shortcomings.

  • The Future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Contingent Workforce: 2022 Update (NEW)

    How have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) evolved in contingent workforce programs since the social upheavals of 2020? In this report, commissioned by HireTalent and Consciously Unbiased, we examine changes in the marketplace since the landmark study from 2020. Among the findings, significantly more programs now follow advanced DEI practices, including a 20% increase in DEI metrics tracked.

    Despite radical changes since 2020, including pandemic-driven demand fluctuation, labor shortages, remote work, and decades-high inflation, DEI holds its place in corporate priorities. We also find the new VMS-driven DEI capabilities draw overwhelming market appeal and have the potential to ignite widespread adoption of DEI within contingent programs. Finally, the popular legal appendix from the 2020 report has been revised to cover frequent questions around gathering and tracking DEI data.

  • The Evolution of Recruiting: 2023 Update to Estimating The Addressable Market for Recruitment Automation (Update)

    The nature of recruiting is evolving dramatically, with advances in technology increasingly augmenting or even replacing tasks in the recruitment process. Those that keep up with these changes, not to mention those that can successfully predict where these advancements will take us in the next few years, are at an increasing advantage in an intensely competitive market. In this custom research report, sponsored by Indeed and written a follow-up to our 2021 report, we profile these changes, identify the technologies available today to augment recruiting, and estimate the global, addressable market for Recruitment Automation (RA.) To keep up with the rapid pace of change, this year’s report highlights new developments, provides an update to our market estimates, and forecasts the expected growth by 2025.

  • The Future of Candidate Evaluation: A New Paradigm (NEW)

    Demand for tech workers has exploded over the last decade, and it is no surprise that the adoption of candidate assessment technology is expected to increase rapidly. How are these approaches different from today’s practices, and do they have a meaningful impact on outcomes? This report answers these questions and identifies best practices, both current and emerging.

    SIA conducted in-depth interviews with leading practitioners and thought leaders and surveyed 266 representatives of staffing companies, enterprise buyers, and others in the contingent workforce ecosystem. We conclude that “leaders” outperform “followers” on every measured outcome and that an emerging set of best practices helps to overcome the shortcomings of many of today’s approaches while providing the capability to scale broadly.

  • Achieving Excellence in Direct Sourcing for the Contingent Workforce

    Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) was commissioned by LiveHire and Raise to conduct a custom research project on the emerging practices collectively known as direct sourcing. The study draws from surveys among 158 separate organizations, deep-dive interviews among leading practitioners, and an analysis of data from 20,000 contingent hires. We find that leaders in the field outperform others across nearly all metrics, while adoption is expected to accelerate over the next two years. The report offers a maturity model of contemporary direct sourcing practices and a practical playbook to accelerate direct sourcing within your own organization.

  • SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator

    The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator is a joint custom research initiative produced weekly by SIA and Bullhorn and a unique tool for gauging current trends in the volume of temporary staffing delivered by US staffing firms. The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator can be used by staffing firms to benchmark their performance and forecast industry trends and outlook and, with the US temporary staffing industry often functioning as a lead indicator for the US economy and labor market, the Staffing Indicator is also useful for business leaders, investors and market observers seeking forward-looking insight.

  • The Virtual Assistant Landscape

    Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) was commissioned by Prialto to conduct a research project to better understand the Virtual Assistant landscape, a market that has been operating under the shadow of higher-profile outsourced models. A Virtual Assistant (‘VA’) is a worker who provides various services to entrepreneurs, SMBs or larger businesses from a remote (and often offshore) location. The core services offered include those general administrative duties that might typically be performed by a personal assistant, however, this narrow definition does not do justice to the wide variety of workers that most VA firms can provide. Organizations should use this report to consider whether the use of such services should form part of their contingent outsourcing strategy.

  • The Future of Diversity & Inclusion in the Contingent Workforce

    In this evolving cultural landscape, HireTalent and Consciously Unbiased commissioned SIA to take a fresh look at the value of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) in contingent workforce programs in order to provide a clear roadmap for the expected rapid growth of these programs among contingent workers, and to break down the barriers that have prevented organizations from increasing diversity hiring and tracking in temporary labor.

    This groundbreaking new report is more important now than ever, as leaders seek to advance D&I efforts among their contingent workforce, and are looking for guidance on how to take it from an idea to a reality. This timely and current research provides transformative insights on this important topic and features findings from an international survey among HR, procurement and other workforce professionals to gauge their opinion on diversity and inclusion among contingent workforces, recent trends and best practices.

  • Beyond COVID-19: The Future of Background Screening & Identity Verification

    Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) was commissioned by Sterling, a background screening and identity services company, to conduct a research project to better understand best practices and recent developments in background screening and identity verification in the staffing industry. As part of the project, SIA conducted an in-depth review of existing literature and research and interviewed a cross-section of executives and experts in the staffing industry, the provider community and legal experts. This report represents a summary of SIA’s latest thinking on the topic.

  • Toward a Total Talent Future
    SIA was commissioned by Alexander Mann Solutions to conduct an international survey and research project among HR, Procurement and other workforce professionals to gauge their opinion on talent acquisition and management trends and, in particular, issues relating to the emergence of Total Talent programs. The survey was supplemented with a series of in-depth interviews with leading program executives across multiple industry sectors and geographies to provide deeper insights.Within this report, you will find insights into where the market is making progress toward a more integrated and unified Total Talent approach across all categories of workers, including the full range of non-employees. Additionally, we report on areas of identified opportunities and operational gaps, coupled with detailed findings about perceptions of Total Talent in the marketplace.

SIA RESEARCH

  • Insights on Gender Parity in the US Staffing Industry 2023 Update (NEW)

    This report is a follow-up to the WBC Benchmark Survey on Gender Equity in the Staffing Industry conducted in August 2023. Survey results confirmed many of the earlier surveys’ critical findings and uncovered some additional insights and opinions expressed by gender discussed in this report.

  • Interim Planning Package (NEW)

    This report will assist you in finding the most relevant SIA research to help plan your strategy and enable your business to succeed. From the 100+ reports published so far this year and late last year, we have highlighted the most useful and insightful for staffing companies globally. The research is broken down by category, including legal & regulatory, geographical market data, sectoral market data, survey results, and technology. Use this report to find relevant SIA research to allow your company to accomplish its goals.

  • Interim Planning Package (NEW)

    This report will assist you in finding the most relevant SIA research to help plan your strategy and enable your business to succeed. From the 100+ reports published so far this year and late last year, we have highlighted the most useful and insightful for staffing companies globally. The research is broken down by category, including legal & regulatory, geographical market data, sectoral market data, survey results, and technology. Use this report to find relevant SIA research to allow your company to accomplish its goals.

  • Impact of Emerging Technology on Staffing (NEW)

    The staffing industry faces opportunities and threats from a wide variety of emerging technologies and this report provides a high level view of the scale of impact and an impact timeline. For staffing executives, there is a twin challenge – technology not only impacts the way that staffing firms operate and deliver their services, it is also reshaping the world of work and demand for skilled workers in a labor market facing profound change. Full definitions of each technology are provided within the report together with recommended actions to help staffing executives better understand the scale of the challenges they face and simple steps they should be taking now to prepare for future changes.

  • Gender Parity in the US Staffing Industry (NEW)

    This report provides a detailed snapshot of the representation of women in leadership at staffing companies, in particular at the executive, CEO, and board levels. It highlights data from an extensive study led by the Women Business Collaboration (WBC) Staffing Council, with analysis provided by SIA. Men and women business leaders in the staffing industry will find this report useful for benchmarking the degree of gender parity as well as understanding key strategies for supporting and advancing women.

  • Workforce Solutions Ecosystem 2022 (NEW)

    This report is the seventh update to Staffing Industry Analysts’ Workforce Solutions Ecosystem, originally released in September 2015. It highlights the interconnected networks comprising the Staffing Industry and other types of Workforce Solutions and notes the changes to the industry over the last 12 months. This year’s report contains an estimate of the size of the Ecosystem and its constituent parts.
    This report will be of use to those who operate within the Ecosystem and also those who procure services or products from it. It contains detailed descriptions of the various sectors, segments, sub-segments and categories within the following industries: Staffing, Process Outsourcing, Payrolling/Compliance, Direct Work Engagement, Talent Acquisition Technology, and Other Workforce Solutions.
    Our Workforce Solutions Ecosystem has proven so popular that many people have asked if they can use it themselves. We’re happy to see our view of the market gain wide adoption and are pleased to provide you with the Ecosystem in a Powerpoint template with an accompanying Image Usage Guide for instructions on the correct way to portray the Ecosystem:

    Workforce Solutions Ecosystem - Presentation [PPT - 450KB]
    Workforce Solutions Ecosystem - Image Usage Guide [PDF - 2MB]

  • Ukraine Resources (NEW)

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a vast humanitarian crisis. Our Research Insight provides information for those who want to offer work opportunities for Ukrainian refugees

  • Staffing Trends 2023 (UPDATED)

    This is the sixth in SIA’s series of annual Staffing Trends reports and comes at a time when the global economy is feeling rather more precarious than it was in 2022. For 2023, we have identified seven key trends under the following headings: Feeling a Bit Recession-y, The Return of Unemployment, Getting Transparent with Pay, It’s All About the Platforms, Staffing Plus, Return to Manual and Getting Creative with Payroll. This report also includes a SWOT analysis highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that the staffing industry currently faces.

  • Lexicon of Global Workforce-Related Terms (UPDATED)

    The Lexicon of Global Workforce-Related Terms is an essential guide to the various terminology and acronyms used within the workforce solutions ecosystem. Whether you are new to this environment or a seasoned practitioner, you will still find our Lexicon of tremendous value as it covers a broad range of international terms and with annual updates to include any new terminology that appears in the market. So if you are confused by MSP, VMS, RPO, ATS, FMS, and HRO, want to know the difference between a CDD and a CDI, enter into negotiations for a CLA, or hire a TAW, then download our PDF, and all will become clear.

  • M&A Funders & Advisors Directory (UPDATED)

    This report identifies M&A funders and advisors from around the world with 50 in-depth profiles and a list of 100+ further providers. Use this report to identify M&A firms and understand the nature of their services.

  • Staffing Company Planning Package (UPDATED)

    This report will be able to assist you prepare your business for the coming year whilst keeping an eye on future trends. We have selected approximately 100 reports to highlight in this Planning Package that we believe will be the most relevant and useful for your organization in planning your strategy and preparing your business for the year ahead.This Planning Package has been divided into various categories such as the human cloud, legal & regulatory, market data by both geography and sector and technology, we also include a wide range of miscellaneous, but important topics.

  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
    AMERICAS  |  EMEA  |  APAC
    We have curated and organized a list of relevant links for information relating to COVID-19 from reputable resources. We will be monitoring and updating links to the data sources. Links to the provided websites broadly cover four general categories:
       1. Live Statistics and general Information
       2. Corporate policy announcements and actions
       3. Legal and human resources
       4. Economic impact
  • Artificial Intelligence and Talent Acquisition: Beyond the Hype
    Perhaps no other technology has more acutely captured the attention of the Talent Acquisition (TA) world than the concept of using Artificial Intelligence in the TA cycle. This underlying technology today powers everything from job recommendations and resume parsing to chatbots and everything in between. As this Summary Report will reveal, this is only just the beginning of what’s coming.
  • The Human Cloud, the Gig Economy & the Transformation of Work
    The Human Cloud, the Gig Economy & the Transformation of Work covers key findings, market estimates and detailed insights into SIA’s latest research on the human cloud, arguably the fastest-growing segment of the gig economy. With technology driving transformation across industries and continents, the workforce solutions ecosystem is finding new ways to automate the connection to talent. SIA estimates that total human cloud spending reached $82 million globally in 2017.
  • Total Talent Management
    We believe Total Talent Management (TTM) is the next evolution in workforce procurement but it is a major evolutionary step and one that presents organizations, used to dealing with their work requirements in silos, with huge challenges. Our TTM report is the first global survey on this topic conducted in partnership with ERE Media and which clarifies the perceptions and difficulties to be found in embarking on a TTM approach. It is an invaluable tool for those brave souls seeking a more proactive and holistic approach to their workforce challenges.
  • History of the Staffing Industry
    If you want to know where you are going, then it’s a good idea to understand where you’ve come from. SIA’s History of the Staffing Industry explores the early origins of the industry through to the modern day providing a unique and comprehensive global perspective. Our History presents a candid picture of the industry, its many successes but also its problems and failures. Our story is one of innovation and risk taking, but also includes heart-warming personal dramas, war heroics, financial and government scandals, bankruptcies, earthquakes and terrorism.

INTERACTIVE RESEARCH TOOLS

  • Online Labour Index (OLI)
    With the Gig economy and human cloud landscape playing an ever-increasing role in the workforce solutions ecosystem, statistics regarding online freelance labor is vital. The Online Labour Index (OLI)  2020 from the Oxford Internet Institute is an economic indicator that provides an online gig economy equivalent of conventional labor market statistics. It measures the supply and demand of online freelance labor across occupations, by employer country and then by both employer and occupation by tracking the number of projects and tasks across platforms in real time. The OLI tracks all the projects/tasks posted on the following platforms, English: freelancer.com, guru.com, Mturk.com, peopleperhour.com, upwork.com, Spanish: freelancer.es, twago.es, workana.es and Russian: freelance.ru, freelancehunt.ru, and weblancer.ru, representing at least 70% of the market by traffic.
  • The European Employment Barometer
    The European Employment Barometer is an interactive research tool that covers key labor market indicators across 33 countries and enables users to access pertinent insights related to the employment situation and agency work in Europe. With real-time data compiled from Eurostat’s most recent labor market survey, along with findings provided via European staffing associations, the tool can be used to track data and market trends over time and for specific geographies. The Barometer is a joint initiative between SIA and the World Employment Confederation.