Staffing Industry Statistics 2026: Market Size, Growth and Temp Jobs

Data as of November 3, 2026. Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) forecasts and jobs reports, American Staffing Association (ASA), BLS and recent staffing fee guides. SIA’s full reports are member only, so we use its public summaries.

How big is the US staffing industry in 2026?

SIA’s September 2026 update projects the US staffing market will grow 2.4% in 2026 to $183.1 billion and expand a further 2.2% in 2027. The forecast has moved up through the year as the market recovered from three soft years.

Globally, SIA estimated the staffing industry at $619 billion in 2024 in its May 2025 market forecast.

Is staffing revenue growing in 2026?

Yes, modestly. The ASA’s quarterly survey shows staffing revenue up 3.3% and staffing employment up 0.6% (about 12,000 jobs) in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, the first year over year growth since late 2022. Quarter over quarter, revenue rose 6.7% and employment 5.0%, per the ASA survey release.

The weekly ASA Staffing Index agrees. It dipped 1.4% to 93 in the week of September 7 to 13 because of Labor Day, but staffing jobs were still 3.3% above the same week of 2025 and the four week average held at 94.

How many people work in temporary help?

BLS counted 2,486,800 temporary help services jobs in September 2026, down 10,900 from August but 15,200 above September 2025 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary). It was the second monthly drop in three months, and revisions have been large: July was revised from +5,200 to a loss of 10,000, and August from +6,800 to +200. Those revisions come from late arriving survey responses, so treat each first print as provisional.

The next BLS jobs report, with revised August and September numbers, is due Friday, November 6 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Our labor market data trackers list shows where to follow it.

Which staffing segments are growing?

Engineering is growing fastest, locum tenens has the strongest forecast, and healthcare and IT are growing slowly. SIA’s March 2026 forecast had healthcare staffing, the largest segment by revenue, growing 1% in 2026 and 2% in 2027, locum tenens growing 5% in both years, travel nurse flat in 2026 and up 1% in 2027, and IT growing 1% in each year. Engineering is the standout: SIA reported engineering staffing rose 1% in 2025 while the overall industry declined, and led every segment in March 2026 with 12% median year over year growth, driven by data center construction.

Data center builders and their subcontractors are pulling in project managers, site supervisors and electrical, mechanical and HVAC specialists, per SIA’s engineering report. Our October Staffing Market Brief has the BLS sector cards for manufacturing, engineering and IT.

Where is staffing growing by state?

Texas. In SIA’s September 2026 jobs report, Texas accounted for 80% of the net employment services jobs added nationwide over twelve months (+35,600 of +44,500, unadjusted data). California and Florida have shed employment services jobs every month since May.

What do staffing firms charge?

Contingency recruiters usually charge 15% to 25% of first year pay, rising to 25% to 30% for senior or specialist roles, and retained search runs about 25% to 33%, according to a 2026 Pin fee guide. A 20% fee on the median US wage of $50,981 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, annualized) is about $10,200, nearly twice SHRM’s $5,475 average cost per hire. See cost per hire for the full fee table by occupation.

What is the hiring backdrop for staffing firms?

Soft. US employers added 29,000 jobs in September and unemployment rose to 4.2%, with July and August revised down by a combined 60,000. Job openings were 7.079 million in August, up 2.3% on a year earlier, and average hourly earnings were up 3.0% (BLS). Staffing is growing in a weak hiring market because employers unsure about the economy tend to reach for flexible labor before permanent headcount.

What this means for agency owners

Growth is real but uneven. Put business development where demand is building, engineering, data center work and healthcare, and watch Texas. Expect temp help data to stay noisy, so judge your own trend over quarters, not single months. Compare agency software in our staffing agency software guide, find peers in the staffing agency directory, and see agency vs in house recruiter for the pay side.

How we built this page

Forecast figures come from SIA’s public summaries and news coverage; SIA’s full forecast reports are available to members only, so we report only what is public. ASA figures come from its September 2026 releases, and temp help figures from BLS series CES6056132001 as reported by SIA and KORE1 on October 2 to 23, 2026. BLS revises recent months, so later readings can differ. Fee ranges are from a 2026 industry guide, and the fee dollar amount is a Work Insiders calculation. Monthly context is in the Staffing Market Brief, and our wider set of recruiting statistics covers cost, speed and AI. Corrections go to support@workinsiders.com.

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