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News Release

Staffing Survey Cites Client Conversions On the Rise and Manufacturing Jobs in Demand

Mississauga, Ontario - May 2, 2006 - According to a survey implemented by the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS), client conversions or the quantity of contractors who are hired on full-time, rose from 24 to 27 per cent between 2004 and 2005.

"This rise reflects the shift to an employee-driven market," says Hilary King, recently elected national president, ACSESS and Director, Strategic Services, Kelly Services (Canada) Ltd. "In this market, we anticipate strategic recruiting and staffing will become imperative, as employers strive to shorten the hiring cycle and mitigate obstacles, such as multiple offers."

This survey was circulated to the national staffing association's more than 275 corporate members in October 2005 and garnered a 24 per cent response rate. Although not statistically significant, it provides a profile the current state of Canada's staffing services industry, which includes permanent placement and professional search firms, as well as contract and temporary staffing firms.

It also found that 42 per cent of ACSESS' professional search members do retained searches and of those, an average of 28 per cent are retained and 74 per cent are contingency.

With the most job orders filled in the manufacturing sector, followed by utilities/energy, automotive, financial services and information technology, survey findings were consistent with other human capital observations that point to a demand for skilled labour in Canada.

Among contingency staffing firms, 42 per cent of all job orders placed were in the light industrial occupational category, followed by heavy industry at 29 per cent, office/clerical at 17 per cent, other at 6 per cent and professional at 3 per cent. This is a switch from a survey done by ACSESS in 2000, in which office/clerical dominated, comprising 31.1 per cent of all placements, and IT ranked fourth at 10.3 per cent.

The Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS) is the single voice for promoting best practices and ethical standards for the recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada. ACSESS supports advancement of the staffing industry through professional training and certification programs, leading to a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) designation. Its more than 1,000 member offices, from professional search to contract staffing firms, help businesses respond to changing needs and offer a broad range of employment opportunities and services to their clients.

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For more information, please contact:

Mary McIninch
Manager, Public Affairs and Government Relations, ACSESS
905-826-6869
mmcininch@bbandc.com