Why Track This Quarter Over Quarter
A single annual forecast, useful as it is, hides the texture of how a recovery actually unfolds. ASA's quarterly releases give a more granular read: whether declines are getting smaller or larger release over release, and whether sequential and year-over-year trends agree or diverge. That texture is what separates "the bleeding slowed" from a guess.
The Signal in Q1 2026 Specifically
ASA president and CEO Stephen Dwyer summarized the Q1 2026 release directly: "First quarter sales, payroll, and employment all recorded their smallest declines in years, providing reasons for optimism for the remainder of the year." Three separate metrics improving in the same direction, in the same quarter, is a stronger signal than any single one of them alone.
The Numbers
Q4 2025 staffing sales: $29.9 billion, up 2.6% quarter over quarter, down 6.2% year over year.
American Staffing Association, employment and sales rebound in Q4
Q1 2026 staffing sales: $27.6 billion, down 4.3% quarter over quarter and down 1.6% year over year, the smallest Q1 sequential decline since 2022 and the narrowest year-over-year gap since 2023.
American Staffing Association, seasonal declines narrow in first quarter of 2026
Q1 2026 temporary and contract employment fell 7.5% quarter over quarter (154,000 jobs), but only 4.6% year over year, versus a 10.8% year-over-year drop in Q1 2025.
American Staffing Association, seasonal declines narrow in first quarter of 2026
The ASA Staffing Index for the week of June 8 to 14, 2026 was 5.6% higher than the same week in 2025, and up 0.3% week over week.
American Staffing Association, staffing industry playbook, referencing the June 2026 index
ASA president and CEO Stephen Dwyer, on the Q1 2026 release: "First quarter sales, payroll, and employment all recorded their smallest declines in years, providing reasons for optimism for the remainder of the year."
American Staffing Association, seasonal declines narrow in first quarter of 2026
Sources
The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.
- American Staffing Association, employment and sales rebound in Q4
- American Staffing Association, seasonal declines narrow in first quarter of 2026
- American Staffing Association, staffing industry playbook 2025