Jobs
Slide in Temp Jobs Is One Sign US Firms Are Hiring Cautiously
A job seeker looks at a job listing board in Oakland, California.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
In a jobs report that showed US firms still bullish on hiring, one sign of caution was the drop in temporary positions, often seen as an early-warning indicator that labor markets are cooling off.
Temp jobs in business services fell 35,000 jobs in December, a Labor Department report showed Friday. It was the biggest drop since early 2021, and extends a five-month decline that’s seen about 111,000 of those positions eliminated.