The most accurate read on U.S. employment, Cramer said Friday, comes from staffing and outsourcing companies, like SFN Group.
On Wednesday, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company delivered 17 cents of earnings per share, which is a 4 cent beat. Its revenues were up 20.4 percent year-over-year and up 16 percent organically, which was stronger-than-expected. In addition, its gross margins increased by 213 basis points to 22.2 percent. For SFN Group to produce these results, companies must have been hiring.
Apart from what seems to be improving U.S. employment, Cramer said SFN Group is changing the way it does business. It's shifting from clerical and light industrial staffing to more professional temporary staff jobs, like information technology, finance, accounting, legal and engineering. These professional jobs carry lighter margins and experience faster growth, Cramer said.
Today, 50 percent of SFN's business is professional temp jobs, but it hopes to increase the number by 10 percent. Cramer likes the move because he thinks it will enhance the price-to-earnings multiple. In other words, people are more likely to pay more for the future of earnings on a professional staffing company rather than a staffing company that mainly deals with clerical staffing jobs. Robert Half International , a professional staffing pure play, sells for 35 times earnings while Kelly Services , largely a clerical staffing company, sells for 20 times earnings.
Cramer thinks SFN is a buy, but to learn more about the company's future, he invited CEO Roy Krause onto "Mad Money." Watch the video to see the full interview.
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC
Questions for Cramer? madmoney@cnbc.com
Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website? madcap@cnbc.com
