Evaluating Options

On Assignment Inc., a provider of long-term and short-term temporary labor, said it hired Lehman Bros. Inc. to explore options for the company. On April 19, On Assignment said it missed first-quarter profit estimates by 1 cent. The company had profit of 21 cents a share, less than the 22-cent average estimate of analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial.

Other temporary labor providers have seen their share prices fall this year because of the slowing U.S. economy. On Assignment rival Manpower Inc. has fallen 15% this year.

Shares of On Assignment rose 16 cents to close at $17.11 on Nasdaq. They had fallen 40% this year. The Calabasas-based company places workers in the health-care, food products, environmental and pharmaceutical fields.