What are the staffing industry trends in 2025? With AI, economic shifts, and technological disruptions, firms must adapt—or risk falling behind.

Barry Asin, President & Chief Analyst of Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), joins Brad Bialy to break down key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry.

SIA is the leading authority in staffing research, and Barry’s insights help top firms navigate uncertainty and stay ahead of the competition.

This is a big episode—we’re covering SIA’s latest research, why "Flat is the New Up," and how leadership separates thriving firms from struggling ones.

Plus, we discuss SIA’s upcoming Executive Forum on March 10, the must-attend event for staffing leaders.

Whether you’re a staffing firm owner, recruiter, or industry executive, this episode is a must-watch to stay ahead in 2025.

If you've seen content from Staffing Monthly or Haley Marketing, you’ll love this episode. Barry Asin has advised the world’s top staffing firms and brings exclusive insights on how to lead and grow in today’s industry.

5 Key Takeaways from This Episode:

✅ Why "Flat is the New Up"

✅ The impact of AI on recruiting?

✅ How top staffing firms are staying ahead.

✅ The leadership mindset shifts that separate thriving firms from struggling ones

✅ Why small and mid-sized staffing firms can still compete with billion-dollar tech giants

Chapters & Key Moments

00:01 - Introduction: Barry Asin on the staffing industry's outlook for 2025

00:10 - Why the industry is stabilizing and SIA’s 5% growth projection

01:14 - Sector breakdown: Healthcare staffing struggles, IT and AI’s impact

03:07 - "Flat is the new up": How firms should view growth in 2025

06:34 - Election years and their impact on staffing demand

07:28 - AI in staffing: A threat or an opportunity?

11:01 - What top staffing firms do differently: Embracing change

14:18 - Growth mindset: How leadership shapes long-term success

18:07 - Biggest threats to the staffing industry in 2025 and beyond

23:56 - Competing with tech-driven platforms like Amazon and Upwork

27:41 - How small firms can stay competitive despite massive tech budgets

28:41 - Preview of SIA’s upcoming Executive Forum

30:25 - What is Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)?

32:57 - Rapid fire: Barry’s top book, best career advice, and Bills' Super Bowl hopes

About the Speakers

Brad Bialy has a deep passion for helping staffing and recruiting firms achieve their business objectives through strategic digital marketing. For over a decade, Brad has developed a proven track record of motivating and educating staffing industry professionals at over 100 industry-specific conferences and webinars. As a visionary leader, Brad has helped guide the comprehensive marketing strategy of more than 300 staffing and recruiting firms. His keen eye for strategy and delivery has resulted in multiple industry award-winning social media campaigns, making him a sought-after expert and speaker in the industry.

A leading authority on workforce solutions worldwide, Barry Asin is renowned for his expertise on staffing and contingent labor. He served as Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) president from 2010 through 2024 with overall responsibility for the company’s global strategy, operations and growth. Asin has been with the company since 2003, where he previously led the team responsible for SIA’s award-winning research and content. As chief analyst he continues to focus on developing SIA’s thought leadership, conference content, long-term strategy and product development.

Recruitment marketing is more than just posting jobs—it’s about staying visible in an overcrowded digital world. In this episode, Brad Bialy and Steve Gipson discuss why consistency in marketing is critical, the hidden cost of doing nothing, and how companies unknowingly fall behind. They explore the science behind attention, why it takes 17+ touchpoints for prospects to recognize a brand, and how surround sound marketing can transform your outreach. Plus, they answer a key listener question on using social media to target healthcare staffing clients effectively.

[00:00] – Intro: Florida Trip, Cold Weather, and Catching Up [03:00] – The Psychology of Attention: Why People Ignore Your Marketing [07:00] – Repetition, Consistency, and Branding: Lessons from Major Companies [10:30] – The Hidden Cost of Doing Nothing: How Stagnation Kills Growth [15:30] – Finding Your Business’s True North: What Are You Really After? [21:45] – The Compounding Impact of Neglecting Marketing [26:00] – Answering a Listener Question: Social Media Strategy for Healthcare Staffing [32:00] – The Power of Niche Content: Creating One-of-One Marketing [37:00] – Final Takeaways: Why Standing Still Means Falling Behind

Brad Bialy is the host of Take the Stage and InSights, the staffing industry's leading podcasts with close to 175,000 downloads. He has a deep passion for helping staffing and recruiting firms achieve their business objectives through strategic marketing concepts. For over a decade, Brad has developed a proven track record of motivating and educating staffing industry professionals at over 150 industry-specific conferences and webinars. His keen eye for strategy and delivery has resulted in multiple industry award-winning social media campaigns, making him a sought-after speaker and expert. A recruiting industry veteran with over 15 years of experience,

Steve Gipson is the Director of Sales and Operations at Recruiters Websites. After spending seven years as a recruiter with a boutique search firm, he joined Recruiters Websites, a digital marketing agency specializing in the recruitment industry. For the past decade, Recruiters Websites has helped over 800 firms of all sizes and specialties enhance their digital presence and make more placements through their expertise in digital marketing, website development, and SEO services.

Many staffing firms have sales teams, but not all are truly high-performing. If you're wondering what separates elite sales teams from the rest, this episode has the expert advice you need to improve your current processes and sales tactics.

This information will result in immediate revenue—it's worth the listen. Joey Frampus, Managing Director at Butler Street, shares proven strategies that high-performing sales organizations use to dominate their industries.

Learn how top staffing firms surpass $100M in revenue, why AI is a game-changer in sales, and how endurance sports shaped Joey’s approach to sales success.

This episode should inspire you to look up high-performing sales teams and implement winning strategies for 2025.

Some of the biggest takeaways include:

✅ Who drives sales strategy—leadership or reps?

✅ How to build a high-performing sales culture

✅ The biggest mistakes sales teams make in 2025

✅ What elite staffing firms do differently to break $100M in revenue

✅ The AI revolution in sales—will AI replace recruiters?

✅ The mental game of sales—overcoming self-limiting beliefs Whether you're a sales leader, recruiter, or rep looking to sharpen your skills, this conversation with Joey Frampus will change the way you think about sales performance.

Episode Chapters & Timestamps

[00:01] - What separates top-performing sales teams?

[00:38] - Who drives sales strategy—leadership or sales reps?

[01:26] - How to create a high-performing sales culture

[02:07] - Biggest mistakes staffing firms make in 2025

[04:32] - The $100M revenue threshold—what elite firms do differently

[06:40] - How to capture more market share from existing customers

[09:55] - How AI is transforming the sales process

[15:21] - Could AI replace recruiters?

[18:51] - Why AI frees up sales reps to do what they do best

[20:37] - Lessons from endurance sports that apply to sales

[27:31] - The mental game: overcoming self-limiting beliefs in sales

[30:18] - The power of identity shifts in sales & athletics

[32:14] - Joey’s background & Butler Street’s mission

[34:06] - Rapid fire: Books, advice, and sales wisdom

About the Speakers

Brad Bialy has a deep passion for helping staffing and recruiting firms achieve their business objectives through strategic digital marketing. For over a decade, Brad has developed a proven track record of motivating and educating staffing industry professionals at over 100 industry-specific conferences and webinars. As a visionary leader, Brad has helped guide the comprehensive marketing strategy of more than 300 staffing and recruiting firms. His keen eye for strategy and delivery has resulted in multiple industry award-winning social media campaigns, making him a sought-after expert and speaker in the industry.

Joey Frampus, Managing Director at Butler Street, brings 12+ years of experience in the staffing industry, covering a broad spectrum from recruiting and operations to sales and leadership. He has led sales offices across the country, but his true passion lies in personal and professional leadership development. Prior to joining Butler Street, Joey carved out a significant career path that took him from one of the largest staffing firms in the United States to pivotal roles in a dynamic startup environment. This journey has endowed him with a unique blend of insights into both the operational complexities of large-scale organizations and the agile, innovative strategies essential for startup success. His experience spans across diverse markets, from St. Louis, Detroit, and Dallas to Atlanta and Chicago, offering him a well-rounded perspective on the staffing industry's varied landscapes. Originally from Washington D.C., Joey is a Graduate of Saint Louis University where he was a Division I Athlete. Now a full time Chicago resident Joey is an aspiring Chicago Marathoner, a devotee of Chicago's vibrant food scene, and a proud new dog dad.