As someone who deals with and in the staffing industry on a daily basis for the past 12+ years, I know first hand how many agencies are barely scraping by or even closing their doors in this economy.  Everyone seems to be waiting for a sign that we have turned the corner and the ship is going in the right direction.  Hopefully some small ray of sunshine may have appeared in the September U.S. Bureau of Labor report for the staffing industry.  In year-to-year comparisons of the data, the nonseasonally adjusted number of positions in staffing has improved monthly since this spring, providing yet another encouraging sign regarding where staffing employment is headed. 

In speaking with our clients, we at BWSI are seeing the same kind of trend, although not across all industries.  Positions in construction and manufacturing/light industrial are down in most areas of the country and many government-related positions are being caught up in the various budget crunches.  However, information technology and, of course, healthcare seem to be trending upward.  A rebound for the staffing industry is a great harbinger for the employment market in general as many businesses historically add temporary workers before hiring fulltime following a downturn.