Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), the global research and advisory firm focused on staffing and workforce solutions, has announced the launch of the SIA Staffing Confidence Index — a new forward-looking benchmark designed to measure executive sentiment and signal directional shifts in the staffing industry. The index debuts with a reading of 128.7, its highest level since August 2022, marking what many are calling a potential inflection point for the sector.

Similar in concept to widely followed measures such as the Consumer Confidence Index, the SIA Staffing Confidence Index translates executive sentiment into a consistent, trackable signal. It is built from SIA's recurring Pulse survey of US staffing firms, tracking recent performance, market conditions, and operating trends — with a focus on both net changes over the past three months and expectations for the next six months.

How the Index Works

The SIA Staffing Confidence Index is built on data SIA has collected since February 2020, giving it over six years of underlying history. In back-testing, it demonstrated a strong statistical relationship with year-over-year staffing revenue performance six months later — reinforcing its value as a genuine leading market signal rather than a lagging indicator.

The index is composed of two sub-indices. The Current Conditions Index measures net changes in bill rates, gross margins, and new orders over the past three months. In its first public release for June 2026, this sub-index reached 125 — its highest reading since late 2022. Key metrics driving this strength include: new orders up to a net 45% (highest since April 2022) and bill rates up to a net 24% (highest since December 2022). The Half-Year Expectations Index captures forward-looking sentiment, projecting where executives believe the market is heading in the next six months.

Unlike a traditional revenue forecast, the index is designed to detect shifts in confidence and direction — not predict exact revenue outcomes. SIA will publish the index every other month as a recurring industry benchmark.

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Context: Guarded Optimism Amid Market Uncertainty

The index's debut comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. Despite significant macroeconomic headwinds — including geopolitical tensions, shifting global tariffs, and the still-uncertain impact of AI — the staffing sector is showing signs of resilience. The SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator reported staffing hours up 4% year-over-year, and the June 2026 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Report significantly exceeded economists' expectations.

However, executives are expressing guarded optimism rather than full-throated exuberance. The Staffing Confidence Index reading, while the highest in nearly four years, has not yet been sustained across multiple periods — and industry leaders are watching closely to see whether the upturn holds through the second half of 2026. SIA will monitor the trend and report back with updated findings in August.

Complementing SIA's Existing Research Suite

The SIA Staffing Confidence Index is designed to complement — not replace — SIA's existing measurement tools. It adds a dedicated forward-looking, sentiment-based dimension to a research suite that already includes the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator (which tracks current revenue performance in near real-time) and SIA's Staffing Industry Forecasts (which project future revenue levels). Together, these tools give staffing leaders a multi-dimensional view of where the industry has been, where it is, and where it is likely heading.