Demand for temps called sign of economic recovery

News Admin  February 25 2010 09:12:18 AM

 The Great Recession has proven deeper and bleaker than Roy G. Krause ever imagined when he saw the employment scene start to sputter in 2007.

But now the president and chief executive officer of SFN Group -- formerly Spherion Corp., one of the nation's largest recruiting and staffing firms -- is seeing early signs of hope in the U.S. job market.

Demand for temporary workers is starting to pick up, he said, and that is typically the first step toward a rebound in permanent jobs.

On Feb. 3, the company, whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange, reported it narrowed its net loss to $6.3 million in 2009 from $118.5 million in 2008. Revenue plunged 22 percent in 2009 to $1.71 billion from $2.19 billion a year earlier.

``Demand is certainly better than 90 or 120 days ago,'' Krause said in an interview in his Fort Lauderdale office this week as the company unveiled its new name. ``The trends in January were very encouraging relative to the fourth quarter.''

Click here to read the entire article in the Miami Herald

• Comments [0]