Press Release Details

TROY, Mich., Sept. 1 -- The following commentary by Carl Camden, president and chief operating officer of global staffing company Kelly Services, Inc., is offered in advance of the August unemployment rate announcement due Friday from the U.S. Department of Labor. In July, the economy gained a reported 32,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 percent.

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"While not as flashy as past recoveries, job creation nonetheless continues on a path of steady, moderate growth. The temporary employment sector accounts for a good portion of the jobs being created, which portends continuing stability for the employment picture overall. The majority of the companies we support are adding staff, albeit cautiously, to stay just ahead of demand.

"The demand for credentialed professionals has not wavered. Healthcare, legal, engineering, technology and scientific professionals all remain highly sought after. Other employment sectors are less robust.

"The anemic-appearing July employment numbers were not reflective of what we were seeing taking place in the market, so we expect to see upward revision to those numbers in this Friday's report. During an economic recovery, any single month's job data can show volatility in either direction, and subsequent government revisions to the previous reports are now commonplace. Hurricane activity could now skew the August numbers. We may have to wait until next month for a clearer, unadulterated jobs report, but the trend shows sound job creation ahead."

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB) is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Troy, Mich., offering staffing solutions that include temporary staffing services, staff leasing, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement. Kelly serves 200,000 customers through 2,500 company owned and operated offices in 26 countries. Kelly provides employment for nearly 700,000 employees annually, with skills including office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, light industrial, education, health care and home care. Revenue in 2003 was $4.3 billion. Visit http://www.kellyservices.com .

SOURCE Kelly Services, Inc.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Carl Camden is available for media interviews through
the contact information below.
CONTACT: Bob Doetsch of Kelly Services, +1-248-244-5362
Web site: http://www.kellyservices.com
(KELYA KELYB)