Sustainability In The Staffing Industry Statistics 2026

Even with sustainability targets on paper, staffing supply chains are being judged in real time. In 2023, global “Social” employment and labor risk events rose by 3.3% year over year, while worker stress remains widespread in the US with 66% reporting they are stressed at work very often or sometimes. These figures sit alongside new reporting expectations across the EU and tighter governance around screening, onboarding, and contractor management.

Key Takeaways

58% of organizations say supplier engagement is critical to meeting their sustainability goals, making staffing supply-chain practices (candidate screening, onboarding, contractor management) a governance requirement
38% of organizations reported that they use supplier risk assessments that include social or labor criteria (indicator of social due diligence adoption).
58% of job seekers say they would apply if a job was described as having ethical hiring practices (ethical employer signal benchmark).
27% of organizations reported using a formal human-rights policy to protect workers (a key social sustainability requirement affecting staffing practices such as onboarding, labor standards, and grievance mechanisms)
100% of EU-based companies in scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) must report on sustainability impacts and risks, which includes workforce and human-rights topics relevant to staffing supply chains
As of the 2022 reporting cycle, 100% of large public-interest entities in scope of the NFRD were required to disclose non-financial information covering environmental and social matters—raising expectations for sustainability transparency across vendors
Employee turnover in the U.S. averaged 3.3% per month in 2023 (equating to about 39.6% annually), which directly affects social sustainability metrics like job stability and onboarding workload
In the U.S., the BLS reported 5.8% unemployment rate in 2023 Q4 (seasonally adjusted), influencing staffing demand and workforce planning decisions
In the EU, the European Agency’s job quality indicators show that temporary agency work is associated with lower job security and pay variability, motivating social sustainability targets (figures presented in the Employment and Social Developments report)
The U.S. staffing industry includes millions of hires annually: in 2023, the U.S. “temporary help services” industry supported large employment levels as recorded by BLS CES, with NAICS 5613 employment exceeding 3.0M
In 2023, global CO2 emissions were about 36.8 billion metric tons; emissions reduction targets drive demand for lower-carbon operations and travel policies that staffing agencies implement for recruiters and field work
In 2023, global renewable energy additions exceeded 510 GW, supporting the growth of staffing demand for clean energy jobs and roles
3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) waste reduction is supported by EU regulatory targets aiming for 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035, influencing office and facility operations sustainability that staffing companies must manage for sites
EU ETS Phase 4 runs from 2021–2030 with a linear reduction factor of 4.2% per year, increasing carbon costs that staffing firms with operational emissions must plan for
42% of workers reported experiencing bullying and harassment at work in the previous 12 months, and 19% reported discrimination in the last 12 months (EU-wide worker experience indicators).

Sustainability expectations are rising in staffing, from human rights and safety to supplier governance and transparency.

01 · Category

Industry Trends3 stats

58% of organizations say supplier engagement is critical to meeting their sustainability goals, making staffing supply-chain practices (candidate screening, onboarding, contractor management) a governance requirement

38% of organizations reported that they use supplier risk assessments that include social or labor criteria (indicator of social due diligence adoption).

58% of job seekers say they would apply if a job was described as having ethical hiring practices (ethical employer signal benchmark).

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Industry trends in staffing show that with 58% of organizations viewing supplier engagement as critical and a matching 58% of job seekers drawn to ethical hiring practices, sustainability is rapidly moving from a nice-to-have to a core expectation embedded in staffing supply chain governance and candidate experience.

02 · Category

Governance & Risk6 stats

27% of organizations reported using a formal human-rights policy to protect workers (a key social sustainability requirement affecting staffing practices such as onboarding, labor standards, and grievance mechanisms)

100% of EU-based companies in scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) must report on sustainability impacts and risks, which includes workforce and human-rights topics relevant to staffing supply chains

As of the 2022 reporting cycle, 100% of large public-interest entities in scope of the NFRD were required to disclose non-financial information covering environmental and social matters—raising expectations for sustainability transparency across vendors

3.3% year-over-year increase in “Social—Employment and Labor” risk events in a major global risk dataset (supporting the need for staffing firms to manage labor and conduct risk)

ISO 45001 has 574,000+ certificates globally (latest ISO survey totals), supporting worker health & safety management systems that staffing employers and their clients increasingly require

The ILO estimates 3.7 million workers are in forced labor in the private economy (2021 estimate), a specific social-sustainability risk relevant to agency labor industries

Interpretation

Governance & Risk Interpretation

With governance and risk in focus, the rise of 3.3% year over year in social employment and labor risk events alongside the ILO’s estimate of 3.7 million workers in forced labor shows that staffing firms must treat labor and human-rights safeguards, such as formal human-rights policies and robust grievance mechanisms, as a growing compliance and oversight priority.

03 · Category

Performance Metrics5 stats

Employee turnover in the U.S. averaged 3.3% per month in 2023 (equating to about 39.6% annually), which directly affects social sustainability metrics like job stability and onboarding workload

In the U.S., the BLS reported 5.8% unemployment rate in 2023 Q4 (seasonally adjusted), influencing staffing demand and workforce planning decisions

In the EU, the European Agency’s job quality indicators show that temporary agency work is associated with lower job security and pay variability, motivating social sustainability targets (figures presented in the Employment and Social Developments report)

In 2022, U.S. temp help employment (NAICS 5613) accounted for about 2.1% of total private employment (derived from BLS CES series), indicating staffing’s material labor-market share

Workers in temporary help services have higher injury/illness incidence rates than some sectors; OSHA injury data by industry show elevated risk profiles for NAICS 5613 categories (latest available BLS/OSHA-linked tables)

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Performance metrics show that in the U.S. employee turnover averaged 3.3% per month in 2023, about 39.6% annually, making job stability and onboarding workload core sustainability pressures for staffing decisions amid a 5.8% Q4 2023 unemployment rate.

04 · Category

Market Size6 stats

The U.S. staffing industry includes millions of hires annually: in 2023, the U.S. “temporary help services” industry supported large employment levels as recorded by BLS CES, with NAICS 5613 employment exceeding 3.0M

In 2023, global CO2 emissions were about 36.8 billion metric tons; emissions reduction targets drive demand for lower-carbon operations and travel policies that staffing agencies implement for recruiters and field work

In 2023, global renewable energy additions exceeded 510 GW, supporting the growth of staffing demand for clean energy jobs and roles

The global workforce management software market was valued at about $11.6B in 2023 and projected to grow, which staffing firms use to optimize scheduling and reduce waste travel (figures vary by analyst)

The IEA reports that the global average cost of solar PV electricity dropped by about 85% between 2010 and 2022 (IEA LCOE trends), reducing project-level staffing demand for renewables and retrofits with lower cost energy inputs

The IEA reports that battery pack costs fell to around $139per kWh in 2023 (announced trends), supporting the scaling of EV manufacturing and related staffing in supply chains

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

In 2023, the U.S. temporary help services industry already employed over 3.0M people and global sustainability pressures like 36.8 billion metric tons of CO2 and rapid clean energy buildout of over 510 GW are expanding the market size for staffing by pushing demand toward lower carbon, renewable, and EV linked roles.

Sustainability In IndustrySustainability In The Manufacturing Industry Statistics

05 · Category

Cost Analysis2 stats

3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) waste reduction is supported by EU regulatory targets aiming for 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035, influencing office and facility operations sustainability that staffing companies must manage for sites

EU ETS Phase 4 runs from 2021–2030 with a linear reduction factor of 4.2% per year, increasing carbon costs that staffing firms with operational emissions must plan for

Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

For cost analysis, staffing firms need to budget for rising sustainability-driven expenses as EU targets push waste recycling to 65% by 2035 and EU ETS Phase 4 cuts emissions linearly by 4.2% each year from 2021 to 2030, increasing carbon costs tied to operational emissions.

06 · Category

Workplace Safety3 stats

42% of workers reported experiencing bullying and harassment at work in the previous 12 months, and 19% reported discrimination in the last 12 months (EU-wide worker experience indicators).

In the U.S., the nonfatal injury and illness incidence rate for private industry was 2.8 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2023 (industry-wide baseline).

In the U.S., 3.5 million work-related injuries and illnesses were recorded in 2023 (U.S. private industry total, nonfatal).

Interpretation

Workplace Safety Interpretation

Workplace safety risks are clearly more than just physical injuries, with 42% of workers across the EU reporting bullying and harassment in the past 12 months and the U.S. recording 3.5 million nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses in 2023.

07 · Category

Human Rights4 stats

35% of respondents said they do not have an adequate system to identify and manage human-rights and labor risks in their supply chains (compliance maturity gap indicator).

The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $377.1 million in wage and hour restitution and civil penalties in FY 2023 (labor enforcement intensity relevant to agency compliance risk).

The Global Slavery Index estimated 8.0 victims of modern slavery per 1,000 people in 2021 (macro forced-labour prevalence indicator relevant to social risk screening).

The ILO estimates that 24.9 million people are victims of forced labour globally (latest ILO forced labour estimate referenced by the ILO).

Interpretation

Human Rights Interpretation

The human-rights picture in the staffing sector looks especially urgent because 35% of respondents lack adequate systems to identify and manage labor risks in supply chains while global estimates still point to widespread harm, with 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour and the Global Slavery Index putting forced-labour prevalence at 8.0 victims per 1,000 people in 2021.

08 · Category

Workforce Stability4 stats

24% of survey respondents reported that they would leave a job if it meant they could not meet family care responsibilities (a social sustainability indicator linked to turnover risk).

73% of employees say flexible work is important to their overall job satisfaction (survey-based demand for flexibility relevant to workforce planning and assignment).

66% of workers in the U.S. report they are stressed at work ‘very often’ or ‘sometimes’ (stress prevalence associated with performance and retention).

The U.S. Department of Labor reported 831,000 claims filed for unemployment insurance in 2023 (weekly initial claims aggregated figure for 2023; indicator for labor market instability affecting staffing demand).

Interpretation

Workforce Stability Interpretation

Workforce Stability is under pressure as 66% of U.S. workers report being stressed at work and 24% would leave if they could not meet family care responsibilities, showing that staffing retention depends heavily on reducing day to day stress and supporting life needs.

Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA

Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Staffing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics

MLA

Karl Becker. "Sustainability In The Staffing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Karl Becker. 2026. "Sustainability In The Staffing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics.