Temporary staffing revenue fell by a median of 5% year over year in February among staffing firms taking part in SIA’s latest Pulse survey. This decline mirrors the 5% decrease reported in the previous Pulse report covering December 2023.

The Pulse survey also examined temporary staffing revenue by staffing segment. 

Locum tenens posted the only positive median revenue growth at 15%. Growth was flat in eight segments: office/clerical, IT, allied healthcare, finance/accounting, engineering, legal, life sciences and engineering. Direct hire revenue was also flat year over year. On the flip side, the travel nurse staffing segment once again posted the largest decline, down 16%, followed by per diem nursing and industrial, down 10% and 7% respectively. 

 Average sales difficulty in February increase to a measure of 3.56 (on a scale of 1 to 5), up from 3.46 in our prior survey in December 2023, and average recruiting difficulty decreased from 3.08 to 2.94, with the recruiting minus sales difficulty remaining negative. This indicates an unusually loose labor market and follows a period in which it was historically tight. 

Technology Spending 

In this month's Pulse survey, participants were asked to share their plans for this year’s talent acquisition technology spending. Of those surveyed, 45% of companies said they plan to increase spending on talent acquisition technology per internal employee compared to just 10% planning to reduce expenditure.   

Respondents were also asked for a breakdown of their 2023 spending/investment in various technology categories: Sourcing automation was the talent acquisition technology on which most spending was increased in 2023, with 34% of respondents reporting increased spending in this category. 

The survey was conducted in March 2024 and is based on data submitted by 172 staffing companies. 

SIA Corporate members can download the US Staffing Industry Pulse Survey Report: March 2024 Selected Highlights. However, the full Pulse report is available only to companies that participated in the survey. For more information on participating in the next survey, contact cstarkey@staffingindustry.com. 

- Sanestina Hunter