Macro glossary

Temporary Help Services Employment

Employment in the temporary help services industry tracked monthly by BLS.

Definition

Temporary help services employment is highly cyclical — employers adjust temp staffing before making cuts to permanent headcount. A 12-month decline in temp help has preceded every recession since 1990.

Related indicators

Temp Help Services

Track temporary help services employment — the earliest labor market recession signal. Temp jobs are

Related terms

Sahm Rule

A recession indicator that triggers when the 3-month moving average of the unemployment rate rises 0.5 percentage points or more above its 12-month low.

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