Weekly staffing employment in Q2 down year over year, ASA reports

The number of workers employed per week by the US staffing industry fell 1.4% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, according to data released today by the American Staffing Association. US staffing companies employed an average of 3.13 million temporary and contract workers per...

3% base salary increases to continue in 2018, Hay Group forecasts

Nearly all companies plan salary increases for US employees next year, but the rate of increase will remain unchanged, according to new research released by the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry International Inc. (NYSE: KFY). While 97% of surveyed companies reported planning salary increases in 2018,...

Seattle council member calls on Amazon CEO to convene ‘national conversation’ with gig economy employers

Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold called on Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos to advocate for gig economy workers as the Seattle-based retail behemoth moved forward Wednesday with its $13.7 billion acquisition of natural and organic grocery chain Whole Foods Market Inc.

Herbold acknowledged the labor...

Jobless claims average falls to lowest level since May

The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance was 237,750 last week, down 2,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average and the lowest level since May, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average...

Mexico-US salary gap: Workers earn nine times less south of the border (PanAm Post)

PanAm Post reports the wage gap between Mexico and the United States has increased in recent years; Mexican workers now earn nine times less than their American counterparts. The American manufacturing sector, for example, pays its workers $20.80 per hour on average, while in Mexico the same industry...

Gig economy childcare company Wondersitter folds; workers not paid (San Francisco Chronicle)

Wondersitter, a San Francisco-based company that connected childcare providers with families, filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 2, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. As more workers turn to the gig economy to piece together a living, they are more removed from the central operations of their employer, making...

Program changes: What’s in it for me? (CWS 3.0)

Just because it seems like “everyone else is” doing something, it does not necessarily mean that “it” is right for your program or your organization, writes Dawn McCartney, CCWP, in a new CWS 3.0 article. The senior director of contingent workforce strategies and research for Staffing Industry...

Staffing company median revenue growth accelerates to 1.6% in Q2

Quarterly revenue growth accelerated to a median 1.6% year over year in the second quarter, up from 0.5% median growth in the previous quarter, according to a Staffing Industry Analysts report on 23 publicly traded staffing companies doing business in North America.

SIA’s prior report, issued in June,...

The Stepping Stones Group acquires school therapist staffing provider

The Stepping Stones Group acquired Indianapolis-based Staffing Options and Solutions, a provider of therapy services to schools.

“SOS is natural fit to the SSG brands expanding our footprint in key states like Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, California and Georgia,” said...

Canadian staffing index falls in July, slight deceleration in year-over-year growth

The Canadian staffing index fell 4% in July from June but was up 4% when compared with July of last year. The index, which measures staffing activity in Canada, fell to a reading of 107 from a reading of 111 in June.

“The index suggests that staffing business volume was roughly flat in July, after adjusting...