What does the Recruitment Process Entail?
Uncover the key elements of the recruitment process and transform it into a streamlined journey toward finding the right talent for your organization.
In This Post:
There are many reasons why temporary staffing is getting more popular, primarily because companies use staffing companies for flexibility. Temporary employees allow a company to hire for a specific project or length of time while not having to commit to full salary and benefits long-term. As the world is embracing a new landscape, the staffing industry has been setting people up to work from home, investing in and using new recruitment technologies, and adjusting to a completely unfamiliar environment. In this article, we go over the main facts and statistics of this vital industry.
Clients & the Staffing Industry
- 67% of hiring managers believe it is important for staffing companies to use the latest technology, and 74% of hiring managers said that it is the technology that sets staffing companies apart. (Career Builder, 2018)
- 40% of hiring managers reported they avoid working with staffing firms to save money, and 28% believe a staffing company would not be able to hire the positions they need. (Career Builder, 2018)
- Half of all hiring managers intend to increase their use of staffing firms in the next five years. (Career Builder, 2018)
- More than half (52%) of hiring managers say one of their main challenges in the recruiting process is gaining access to candidates with the right skills. (Career Builder, 2018)
- 77% of millennial clients plan to increase their use of staffing companies in the next five years. (Career Builder, 2018)
Challenges & Benefits of Staffing
- 20% of staffing employees cite schedule flexibility as a reason for choosing temporary/contract work. (American Staffing)
- Six in 10 staffing employees (64%) work in the industry between jobs or to help them land a job. (American Staffing)
- Almost half of the employees who choose temporary or contract work do so in the hopes of gaining permanent employment. (ASA-Digital, 2019)
- Most staffing employees work full time (73%), comparable to the overall workforce (74%). (American Staffing)
- The No. 1 reason people say they want to do temporary work is to earn extra income. (True Blue, 2019)
- One-fifth (20%) of those who choose temporary/contract jobs do so because of scheduling flexibility. (Forbes, 2018)
- Nine out of ten employees stated that temporary staffing increased their employability. (Murrayresources, 2018)
COVID-19 & Staffing Industry Trends
- 30% of staffing and recruitment professionals report that their businesses are doing better than or as well as this time last year. (GRID, 2020)
- As the demand for remote workers is on the rise, alongside it all the office operations (32%), onboarding (41%), and remote recruiting of candidates are also seeing a shift. (GRID, 2020)
- 64% of respondents said that remote jobs are and will be even more common. (GRID, 2020)
- 81% of recruiting companies found the reduction in job requirements the most challenging part of COVID-19. (GRID, 2020)
- Video interviewing and video conferencing solutions have seen the largest rise (91%) in innovative technologies that staffing companies have started using. (GRID, 2020)
- More than three-quarters of employed U.S. adults (79%) are satisfied with their employers’ pandemic-related return-to-work plans. (American Staffing, 2020)
- Health care workers (14%) are most likely to report that nothing will make them feel safe on the job during the pandemic. (American Staffing, 2020)
- Mid-year temporary and contract staffing employment during COVID-19 is 31.6% lower than the year before. (American Staffing, 2020)
- During the epidemic, staffing provided jobs and professional possibilities for around 13.6 million people. (Ilo.org., 2020)
Industry Overview
- The United States generates around 31% of the global staffing industry revenue, which makes the U.S. a leading country in the staffing industry. (Statista, 2019)
- 16 million temporary and contract workers are hired throughout the year. (American Staffing)
- On any given day, 2.1% of employed adults (3.1 million) are working in the staffing industry, with 63% being temporary employees, and 37% being contract workers. (ASA-digital, 2019)
- Staffing employees work in all sectors, 36% have industrial occupations, 24% are in office-clerical and administrative positions, 21% in professional-managerial, 11% in engineering, information technology, and scientific, 8% in health care. (American Staffing)
- Around 3.000.000 temporary and contract employees work for America’s staffing firms during a typical week. (Americanstaffing.net, 2021)
- Temporary employees work full-time in 73% of cases. (Willistowerswatson, 2021)
- In the U.S., there are around 25,000 Recruiting and Staffing Agencies. (American Staffing Association, 2021)
- U.S. staffing industry has a market size of $151.8 billion. (Statista, 2021)
- The recent estimate predicts that revenue growth in the staffing business will be 4% in 2022, up from 3% in the April forecast. (Staffingindustry, 2021)
Recruiting Statistics
- 40% of employers plan to hire full-time workers, and 47% are looking for temporary employees. (Career Builder, 2019)
- 92% of employers say soft skills are a key factor in determining whether they hire a candidate, and 80% believe soft skills are more of equally important as hard skills. (Career Builder, 2019)
- 40% of respondents said that the most challenging phase of the recruitment lifecycle is sourcing candidates. (Statista, 2020)
- 41% of recruiters say entry-level positions are the hardest to fill. (Indeed, 2017)
Financial Overview of the Staffing Industry
- Global staffing revenue is projected to decline between 14% and 37% in 2020. (Staffing Industry, 2020)
- U.S. staffing industry revenue is expected to fall by 21% in 2020. (Staffing Industry, 2020)
- The global staffing industry revenue amounted to 481.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. (Statista, 2019)
- There are over 20,000 staffing and recruiting companies in the U.S. (Murray Resources, 2018)
- The top five markets in 2018 were the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Australia. (WEC Global, 2020)
Amid a massive economic slowdown, the staffing industry which establishes and builds connections between clients and workers is even more important.
Written by shortlister editorial team
Recruiting Software
Browse our curated list of vendors to find the best solution for your needs.
Stay Informed
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest trends, expert tips, and workplace insights!
Related Posts
How to Create Job Ads that Attract Talent
Would a top candidate choose your posting over a competitor’s in under a minute? The answer depends on whether your job ad sells opportunity or just lists demands.
Write an ATS Resume That can Beat the System
Unlock the secrets to crafting an ATS-friendly resume that stands out in the job market with valuable insights and tips to navigate applicant tracking systems effectively.
70+ Internship Statistics in 2025: Data, Case Studies & Trends
Explore valuable internship insights that offer a realistic approach to pursuing practical knowledge before employment and uncover how it gives job seekers a competitive edge in the labor market.