Statistics from the American Staffing Association:

America's staffing companies employed an average 2.96 million temporary and contract workers per day in 2006, an increase of 1.8% over the previous year, according to the American Staffing Association’s quarterly employment and sales survey.

Staffing companies employed 12.4 million temporary and contract workers in total during 2006, an increase of 300,000 from 2005, according to the ASA. And 4.4 million of those secured permanent jobs.

Key drivers behind increased use of contingent workers are lower risk with temp-to-perm, variable workloads, business growth and difficulty finding quality people. The talent shortage is very much a reality, reflected in near record-low unemployment rates.

• 57% of hiring managers said it was more difficult to find qualified candidates today than a year ago
• 91% said recruiting is equally or more challenging today.
• 2.9 million people per day are employed by staffing companies.
• 12 million temporary and contract employees are hired by U.S. staffing firms over the course of a year.
• 79% of staffing employees work full time, virtually the same as the rest of the work force.
• 66% of staffing employees say flexible work time is important to them.
• 64% of staffing employees report that their work gives them the scheduling flexibility and the time for family that they desire.
• 90% of client businesses say staffing companies give them flexibility to keep fully staffed during busy times.
• 88% of staffing employees say that temporary or contract work made them more employable.
• 77% of staffing employees say it’s a good way to obtain a permanent job.
• 80% of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become permanent employees.
• 67% of staffing employees say choice of assignments was an important factor in their job decision.
• 23% of staffing employees have little or no interest in a permanent job—they prefer the alternative arrangement over traditional employment.
• 33% of staffing employees say they work for a staffing company because they like the diversity and challenge of different jobs.