What the report says
In its September 22, 2026 report, the American Staffing Association said staffing employment was 0.5% above the August monthly report. During September 7–13, the index fell 1.4% to a rounded value of 93, with many respondents citing Labor Day. Staffing jobs were 3.3% above the comparable week of 2025. The four-week moving average for temporary and contract staffing employment was 5.8% above the same period a year earlier.
What it does—and does not—tell an employer
The different comparisons are not contradictory. They measure different periods. Temporary and contract staffing trends also do not establish the availability of a specific executive or specialist.
Our interpretation: treat the report as context for workforce planning, then examine your own candidate funnel, demand, and operating needs. Do not use a single national indicator to decide that every role should be easy or difficult to fill.
A practical next step
Review the roles that are constraining execution. Separate immediate capacity needs from long-term leadership needs, and decide which require direct hiring, development, or a scoped search. Keep the date and measure beside any statistic used in a planning discussion.
This brief summarizes the September 22 release. It is a dated editorial update, not a live labor-market feed.
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Sources & editorial context
American Staffing Association · September 22, 2026 Staffing IndexSources reviewed September 28, 2026. Recommendations and interpretations are inTalent’s editorial perspective. References to other businesses are industry context, not claims of a client relationship. Forecasts and survey findings retain the scope of their original sources.