Temporary Help Workers in the U.S. Labor Market

Summary: The number of jobs in the temporary help services industry reached an all-time high of 2.9 million in May 2015, accounting for 2.4 percent of all private sector jobs in the U.S. economy.1 This short report looks at the latest official U.S. government statistics on the temporary help services industry and its workforce to provide an overview of its role in the labor market and the U.S. economy. The temporary help services industry tends to be a leading indicator of employment and fluctuates with the business cycle.