For the most part Q2 results from staffing firms have been pretty dismal.  Just the other day Robert Half, the perennial star of the staffing world, came out with earnings that some on Wall Street called "an upside surprise."  Unfortunately the upside surprise was in cost control and international, with RHI's U.S. revenue declining in the the low single digits. Not so great news for those in the US finance and accounting staffing business.

One bright spot in the dismal news has been the world of healthcare staffing.  While we are waiting for the public healthcare staffing firms to come out with results for Q2, one early indicator is attendance at our upcoming Healthcare Staffing Summit, being held September 8 to 10 in San Francisco.  Admittedly summit attendance is not exactly a scientific indicator of business outlook, however it is a pretty good indicator of the mood of staffing executives.  So far the mood appears to be upbeat.  In fact, to date attendance is running more than 20% ahead of last year.  Not bad when you look across the whole industry and see some pretty ugly results being posted.

With a relentless shortage of skilled healthcare workers, growing employment and the ongoing growth in demand from an aging population, healthcare staffing is a business that marches to its own drummer. 

Price competition and cyclical sales in industrial and clerical staffing got you down? Maybe it's time to check out the world of healthcare staffing.

If that strikes your fancy, there's no better way to get the pulse of the healthcare staffing business than by joining us at the Healthcare Staffing Summit.  We hope to see you in San Francisco where we'll share the latest on trends and developments in healthcare staffing.

For more info check out www.healthcarestaffingsummit.com.