US & Canadian Staffing Market Data 2026

Last reviewed: July 8, 2026 · Sources: SIA, ASA, BLS (NAICS 561320)

How big is the US staffing market in 2026?

Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) forecasts the US staffing market at $180.2 billion in 2026, growing 1% year-over-year, with about 2% growth to $183 billion in 2027. The market remains below its pre-pandemic size of $185.5 billion and its 2022 peak of $243.9 billion.

Key indicators

Sector growth forecasts, 2026

Life sciences about 5%, engineering 3%, finance and accounting 2%, IT and marketing/creative about 1% (SIA). Industrial staffing is forecast for low single-digit growth, with momentum concentrating in construction and skilled trades.

Frequently asked questions

How big is the US staffing market in 2026?

Staffing Industry Analysts forecasts the US staffing market at $180.2 billion in 2026, growing 1% year-over-year, with about 2% growth to $183 billion projected for 2027. The market remains below its pre-pandemic $185.5 billion and its 2022 peak of $243.9 billion.

Is the staffing industry growing in 2026?

Yes, modestly. SIA forecasts 1% US growth, ASA's first-quarter 2026 survey showed the narrowest Q1 declines since 2022 ($27.6 billion in sales, down 1.6% year-over-year), and SIA's Staffing Confidence Index hit a post-pandemic high in June 2026. ASA expects year-over-year growth in the remaining quarters of 2026.

How big is the Canadian staffing market?

SIA forecasts the Canadian staffing market at approximately C$9.3 billion in 2026, growing 2% after contracting just under 1% in 2025. Temporary staffing accounts for roughly C$9.0 billion of that, and place-and-search revenue is forecast to rebound 14%.

How is the Canadian staffing market different from the US?

The segment mix is inverted: IT is Canada's largest temporary staffing segment, followed by industrial at 25% (about C$2.22 billion) and engineering at 15%, while healthcare is just 3%. In the US, healthcare is the largest segment at a projected $38.7 billion. Cross-border agencies need different playbooks per country.

What is the fastest growing staffing segment in 2026?

By SIA's forecasts, life sciences leads at about 5% growth, followed by engineering at 3% and finance and accounting at 2%. In healthcare, locum tenens is the standout sub-vertical. Industrial staffing growth is concentrating in construction and skilled trades.

What is the largest staffing segment in the US?

Healthcare is now the largest single skill segment in US staffing, with SIA-projected revenue of about $38.7 billion, supported by roughly 1.42 million unfilled healthcare and social assistance positions nationally.

How many people work through staffing agencies in the US?

ASA counted 9.5 million temporary and contract workers placed in 2025, down 8.5% from the prior year during the market contraction. Across recent years ASA has reported figures in the 10-12 million range annually.

What is the ASA Staffing Index?

The ASA Staffing Index is the American Staffing Association's weekly measure of temporary and contract staffing employment, used as a near-real-time indicator of staffing demand. Sustained year-over-year gains in the index typically precede reported revenue recovery.

What was staffing industry revenue in 2025?

ASA reported $113.5 billion in US temporary and contract staffing sales for full-year 2025, down 8.5% from 2024, marking the third consecutive year of decline before the stabilization now visible in 2026 data.

Why did the staffing market decline from its 2022 peak?

The 2022 peak of $243.9 billion reflected post-pandemic re-hiring, wage inflation, and record bill rates, especially in travel nursing. As labor markets normalized, clients in-sourced hiring, healthcare rates corrected, and economic uncertainty suppressed job orders, compressing the market roughly 26% by 2025.

What is temp help penetration and why does it matter?

Penetration is temporary help employment as a share of total employment. Rising penetration means staffing is winning share of the labor market even when job growth is slow, which is exactly the dynamic SIA's 2026 pulse data points to. It is the single best long-term health indicator for the industry.

Where can I find free staffing market data?

StaffingPulse publishes sourced market figures on its market data page and dashboard, drawing on SIA forecasts, ASA quarterly surveys, and BLS temporary help employment data (NAICS 561320). Primary sources publish deeper datasets behind membership: SIA research and ASA data products.

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All figures attributed inline. Interactive charts, BLS temp-help employment series, and the ASA index tracker are on the interactive dashboard.