Demand for temporary workers in the United States for the fourth quarter of 2007 is expected to fall approximately 3.9 percent over the same period in 2006, according to the newly launched Palmer Forecast.

"The decrease in demand for temporary workers appears to be accelerating and is expected to continue its steady year-over-year decline during the fourth quarter," said Greg Palmer, founder and chief executive officer of G. Palmer & Associates, an Orange County, CA-based staffing industry consulting firm. "The trend primarily reflects rising unemployment, as well as relatively sluggish GDP forecasts."

Palmer said demand for temporary workers for the third quarter of 2007 fell approximately 1.5% below the same period of 2006, indicating that the downward trend of the last two quarters is continuing.

The Palmer Forecast is based, in part, on Bureau of Labor Statistics and other key indicators. The model was initially developed by The A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University and serves as an indicator of economic activity. Palmer said companies that employ temporary staff use the forecast as a guide to navigate through fluctuating economic conditions in managing their workforce intelligently to meet business demands.