Regardless of your political affiliation, one fact is indisputable: the presidential election of Donald Trump has been good for the staffing industry. Between Nov. 8 and early April, the industry has soared 22.1 percent while the S&P 500 gained 9.6 percent. This progress is being credited to the proposed pro-growth policies of the Trump administration, according to Zacks, an investment research firm.

25 Million Jobs and Counting

Among President’s Trump’s goals is to add 25 million jobs over the next decade, which translates to 208,000 heads each month. However, job figures for March fell flat.  The U.S. Labor Market reported an additional 98,000 employees while the unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent.  Likewise, payroll gains are also expected to be sluggish for two reasons: employers are experiencing difficulty in filling jobs and the lukewarm growth in the working-age population.

Still, the hiring pace in the U.S. is anticipated to remain positive throughout the second quarter, considering that 22 percent of employers are planning to hire between April and June.

Staffing Industry Is In Demand

Between Nov. 8 and early April, three stocks in the staffing space have been doing particularly well: ManpowerGroup Inc., Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., and Kforce Inc. Since staffing services are in demand, these companies are expected to record higher revenues in upcoming quarters.

As the global leader in the employment services industry, Manpower supports 2,900 offices in 80 countries that service approximately 400,000 clients. The company expects to experience income growth across all of its segments.

Zacks’ VGM (value, growth, momentum) score for the company is an “A”, which ranks it among the top 20% of all stocks covered by Zacks. Although Manpower’s expected long-term growth is 13 percent, it also outperformed the industry with an average return of 23.5% since Nov. 8, compared with a 22.1% gain for the latter.

The financial performance of Heidrick & Struggles, which offers recruitment, management and deployment of senior executives, has also been impressive. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings jumped 5.2 percent. So far this year, the company’s expected growth rate is 13.1 percent, higher than the broader industry’s gain of 4.8%. Its VGM is also an “A”. Between Nov. 8 and early April, the company outperformed the industry with an average return of 34.3%.

The third global company, Kforce, provides professional and technical specialty staffing services and solutions. This company is currently restructuring, divesting its non-core operations, and investing the proceeds into higher-growth markets. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings rose 15 percent.

The company’s VGM score is also ‘A’. Between Nov. 8 and early April, its stock outperformed the industry with an average return of 33.1 percent. Kforce’s return on equity of 27.85% is favorable compared with others in the industry. Its expected growth rate during 2017 is 27.2%, more than the industry’s gain.

Expect More Growth

As for the remainder of 2017, expect more industry growth, strong stock performance and improved returns or profitability, according to Zacks’ research and analysis. That’s especially good news during a time when political chaos seems to be the order of the day.