Decoding Workforce Shifts: The Forces Reshaping Staffing and Hiring

The staffing industry is facing a shift unlike anything we’ve seen before. Productivity is growing, but companies are relying on fewer workers—especially temporary staff. What may seem like a temporary market dip is actually the result of bigger forces at play: policy reform, immigration shifts, and rapid advances in technology. And temporary staffing, long viewed as a lead indicator for the economy and its strength, is now in a decades-long slump, even as overall employment remains strong. With these changes unfolding for the foreseeable future, the runway for forward-thinking agencies to build more resilient businesses has never been greater.

In this episode of Avionté: Digital Edge, host Chris Ryan, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Avionté, unpacks these trends with Gad Levanon, Chief Economist at The Burning Glass Institute. Together, they explore why these shifts create as many opportunities as they do challenges—and why staffing companies that move beyond temp placements into broader workforce solutions, with a focus on AI-driven efficiency, will be the ones that thrive.