TrueBlue, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun 29, 2025

COMMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this Form 10-Q, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and future events and circumstances could differ significantly from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “goal,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements, including the risks and uncertainties described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q),“Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” (Part I, Item 3 of this Form 10-Q), and “Risk Factors” (Part II, Item 1A of this Form 10-Q). Except as required by law, we undertake no duty to update or revise publicly any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report or to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

TrueBlue, Inc. (the “company,” “TrueBlue,” “we,” “us” and “our”) is a leading provider of digitally-enabled, specialized workforce solutions that connect employers and talent with precision and scale. Backed by decades of experience, a national footprint, an expansive talent network, deep local market insight, and global RPO reach, TrueBlue delivers total workforce solutions across the world's largest staffing markets. Client demand for contingent workforce solutions and outsourced recruiting services is cyclical and dependent on the overall strength of the economy and labor market, as well as trends in workforce flexibility. During periods of rising economic uncertainty, clients reduce their contingent labor in response to lower volumes and reduced appetite for expanding production or inventory, which reduces the demand for our services. That environment also reduces demand for permanent placement recruiting, whether outsourced or in-house. However, as the economy emerges from periods of uncertainty, contingent labor providers are uniquely positioned to respond quickly to increasing demand for labor and rapidly fill new or temporary positions, replace absent employees, and convert fixed labor costs to variable costs. Similarly, companies turn to hybrid or fully outsourced recruiting models during periods of rapid re-hiring and high employee turnover. Our business strategy is focused on accelerating growth to capture market share, while enhancing our long-term profitability. Key elements of this strategy include accelerating our digital transformation across the enterprise; strategically expanding our presence in high-growth, under-penetrated end markets as well as high-skill, high-value talent segments; optimizing our sales function to accelerate growth and capture market demand; and maintaining operational excellence to deliver efficiencies and enhance long-term profitability.

PeopleReady

PeopleReady provides clients with dependable access to qualified associates for their on-demand, contingent general and skilled labor needs to supplement their permanent workforce, across a broad range of industries including construction, transportation, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and energy. Our services range from providing one associate to hundreds, and are generally short-term in nature as they are filling the contingent staffing needs of our clients. PeopleReady connects our clients with individuals looking for work through our network of branches across all 50 states in the United States (“U.S.”) and Puerto Rico. Augmenting our branch network, our mobile app, JobStack®, connects people with on-demand work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. JobStack creates a digital exchange between our associates and clients, and allows our field resources to focus on sales, recruiting, and service delivery efforts. PeopleReady also connects skilled tradespeople with temporary work across a wide range of trades, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding and energy installation positions through our PeopleReady Skilled Trades and RenewableWorks brands. Our primary focus at PeopleReady is the continued development of JobStack app features to enhance the user experience and create operational efficiencies, expansion in attractive end markets, and optimization of our business model to enable a renewed focus on sales growth.

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PeopleManagement

PeopleManagement provides and manages contingent associates at clients’ facilities throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, through our OnSite businesses. Our client engagements are generally multi-location and multi-year, and include scalable recruiting, screening, hiring and management of the contingent workforce. We deploy dedicated management and service teams that work side-by-side with a client’s full-time workforce. Our teams are an integral part of the production and logistics process, and specialize in labor-intensive manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Our proprietary hiring and workforce management software (Stafftrack®) enables us to recruit and connect the best candidates with on-site assignments. PeopleManagement also provides dedicated and contingent commercial drivers to the transportation and distribution industries through our Centerline Drivers (“Centerline”) brand. Centerline matches drivers to each client’s specific needs, allowing them to improve productivity, control costs, ensure compliance and deliver improved service. Our primary focus at PeopleManagement is growing our client base across the transportation, manufacturing, and retail sectors, while creating efficiencies in our operating model.

PeopleSolutions

PeopleSolutions provides clients with services focusing on professional and specialized talent acquisition, as well as workforce management and compliance, across a wide variety of industries and primarily in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. PeopleSolutions provides recruitment process outsourcing (“RPO”), healthcare talent acquisition services, managed service provider (“MSP”) solutions, and talent advisory services through our PeopleScout and Healthcare Staffing Professionals (“HSP”) brands. Our RPO solutions are generally multi-year in duration, highly scalable, and provide clients the support they need as their hiring volumes fluctuate. Our proprietary technology platform (Affinix®) uses artificial intelligence to rapidly source a qualified talent pool within minutes, and further engages candidates through a seamless digital experience. Our healthcare talent acquisition services include long-term staffing and permanent hiring solutions, primarily focused on serving governmental agencies and educational institutions. Our MSP business manages our clients’ contingent labor programs, including vendor selection, performance management, payrolling, compliance monitoring and risk management. Our primary focus at PeopleSolutions is leveraging our strong brand reputations, deep expertise, tailored solutions, expansive footprint and proprietary technology to continue gaining market share in high-growth and under-penetrated end-markets, and expanding in higher-skilled placements.

Fiscal second quarter of 2025 summary

Total company revenue was $396.3 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, relatively unchanged compared to the same period in the prior year. Demand for temporary labor and permanent hiring continues to be soft, as clients focus on reducing operating costs and remain uncertain about future workforce needs.

Total company gross profit as a percentage of revenue declined to 23.6% for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to 26.4% for the same period in the prior year. The decline was primarily due to changes in revenue mix toward our lower margin staffing businesses.

Total company selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense improved 7.4% to $89.8 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same period in the prior year. SG&A expense improved as a result of operational cost management actions taken in response to the decline in demand for our services.

We recorded an intangible asset impairment charge of $0.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025 related to a trademark within our PeopleManagement segment. For the same period in the prior year, we recorded goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges of $59.7 million, primarily related to our PeopleReady reporting unit.

Income tax expense was $0.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to $46.5 million for the same period in the prior year. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance against our U.S. federal, state and certain foreign deferred tax assets initially established in the fiscal second quarter of 2024, resulting in no current period income tax benefit for these jurisdictions.

The items above resulted in a net loss of $0.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to a net loss of $104.7 million for the same period in the prior year.

As of June 29, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $21.9 million and outstanding debt of $53.8 million. As of June 29, 2025, $79.0 million was available under the most restrictive covenant of our revolving credit agreement (“Revolving Credit Facility”), for total liquidity of $100.9 million.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Total company results

The following table presents selected financial data:

(in thousands, except percentages and per share data)

Revenue from services

(in thousands, except percentages)

Total company revenue was relatively unchanged at $396.3 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, and declined 4.1% to $766.6 million for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year. The acquisition of HSP in early 2025 contributed 4.1% and 3.5% of growth for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, respectively, partially offsetting organic revenue declines. Demand for temporary labor and permanent hiring continues to be soft, as clients are hesitant to make staffing decisions due to uncertainty around future workforce needs and are utilizing their existing workforce to reduce operating costs.

PeopleReady

PeopleReady revenue declined 4.6% to $213.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, and declined 9.8% to $402.5 million for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year. PeopleReady revenue declined as a result of continued labor market uncertainty, leading our clients to reduce their dependence on contingent labor to supplement their core workforce. Declines in demand were seen across most industries and geographies within our on-demand business, partially offset by growth within our skilled business during the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025.

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PeopleManagement

PeopleManagement revenue grew 1.6% to $133.9 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, and grew 1.4% to $269.4 million for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year. PeopleManagement revenue grew as a result of strong demand within our commercial driving business. Growth from commercial driving was partially offset by declines within our OnSite business, as clients continue to be cautious to make significant changes to their workforce strategies after taking steps to reduce their dependence on variable labor.

PeopleSolutions

PeopleSolutions revenue grew 19.7% to $49.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, and grew 8.2% to $94.6 million for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year. The acquisition of HSP in early 2025 contributed 39.9% and 31.7% of growth for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, respectively, compared to the same periods in the prior year. Organic revenue declined as labor market conditions have led to uncertainty around our clients future workforce needs, and clients continue to experience less employee turnover while also facing cost pressure. This has resulted in clients reducing hiring volumes, sourcing candidates with internal resources, and initiating hiring freezes to control costs. The decline in organic revenue was impacted by the loss of a large hospitality client in the prior year due to their decision to insource hiring for high-volume roles. Despite these challenges, we are executing our overall strategy of expanding into high-value professional roles and high-growth and under-penetrated end-markets with new business wins.

Gross profit

(in thousands, except percentages)

Gross profit as a percentage of revenue declined 280 basis points to 23.6% for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same period in the prior year. Changes in revenue mix resulted in a contraction of 250 basis points, driven by revenue shifts toward our lower margin staffing businesses. Additional depreciation of certain software within PeopleSolutions, reported in cost of services, contributed 30 basis points of contraction.

Gross profit as a percentage of revenue declined 200 basis points to 23.5% for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same period in the prior year. Changes in revenue mix resulted in a contraction of 210 basis points, driven by revenue shifts toward our lower margin staffing businesses. Our staffing businesses contributed an additional 10 basis points of contraction as a result of pricing pressure typical of a low demand environment. Additional depreciation of certain software within PeopleSolutions, reported in cost of services, contributed 30 basis points of contraction. These contractions were partially offset by 50 basis points of expansion from lower workers’ compensation costs driven by favorable development of prior year reserves.

SG&A expense

(in thousands, except percentages)

Total company SG&A expense improved by $7.2 million, or 7.4% for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2025, and improved by $19.5 million, or 9.6% for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year. Operational cost management actions executed in response to the decline in demand for our services have resulted in a leaner cost structure, which strategically positions us to drive stronger profitability as industry demand rebounds. The thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025 included a benefit, net of related fees, of $5.4 million for recognition of certain COVID-19 government subsidies, compared to $6.8 million for the same periods in the prior year.

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Depreciation and amortization

(in thousands, except percentages)

Depreciation and amortization decreased for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, compared to the same periods in the prior year, as certain intangible assets were fully amortized during 2024, primarily related to customer relationships. In the current year, depreciation of certain software within PeopleSolutions has been included in cost of services on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge

(in thousands)

We performed our annual impairment test as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2025. As a result of this impairment test, we concluded that a trademark related to our PeopleManagement segment exceeded its estimated fair value and we recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $0.2 million, which was included in goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025. The charge was primarily driven by an increase in the discount rate. The remaining balance for this trademark was $2.5 million as of June 29, 2025. See Note 6: Goodwill and Intangible Assets, to our consolidated financial statements found in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for additional details.

Income tax expense

(in thousands, except percentages)

Our tax provision and our effective tax rate are subject to variation due to several factors, including variability in accurately predicting our full year pre-tax income or loss by jurisdiction, tax credits, government audit developments, changes in laws, regulations and administrative practices, valuation allowances recorded on deferred tax assets, and relative changes in expenses or losses for which tax benefits are not recognized. Additionally, our effective tax rate can be more or less volatile based on the amount of pre-tax income or loss. For example, the impact of discrete items, tax credits, and non-deductible expenses on our effective tax rate is greater when our pre-tax income or loss is lower.

For the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, our income tax expense is related primarily to our foreign operations. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance against our U.S. federal, state and certain foreign deferred tax assets, initially established in the fiscal second quarter of 2024, resulting in no income tax benefit for these jurisdictions. Our conclusions to maintain a valuation allowance were driven by U.S. and foreign pre-tax losses beginning in 2023 and continuing into 2025, combined with the significant non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $59.1 million recorded during the twenty-six weeks ended June 30, 2024.

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Segment performance

We evaluate performance based on segment revenue and segment profit (loss). Segment profit (loss) includes revenue, related cost of services, and ongoing operating expenses directly attributable to the reportable segment. Segment profit (loss) excludes goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, depreciation and amortization expense, unallocated corporate general and administrative expense, interest and other income (expense), income taxes, and other costs and benefits not considered to be ongoing. See Note 13: Segment Information, to our consolidated financial statements found in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for additional details on our reportable segments, as well as a reconciliation of segment profit (loss) to income (loss) before tax expense.

Segment profit (loss) should not be considered a measure of financial performance in isolation or as an alternative to net income (loss) on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

PeopleReady segment performance was as follows:

(in thousands, except percentages)

PeopleReady segment profit (loss) improved $1.1 million and $3.2 million for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, and also improved as a percentage of revenue, compared to the same periods in the prior year, respectively. Improvement was primarily due to operational cost management actions executed in response to the decline in demand for our services, which have resulted in a more efficient cost structure.

PeopleManagement segment performance was as follows:

(in thousands, except percentages)

PeopleManagement segment profit grew $0.7 million and $0.8 million for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, and also improved as a percentage of revenue, compared to the same periods in the prior year, respectively. Growth was primarily driven by higher revenue from the commercial driving business, coupled with a reduction in SG&A expense, which was the result of disciplined cost management actions to streamline our organizational structure and improve efficiency.

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PeopleSolutions segment performance was as follows:

(in thousands, except percentages)

PeopleSolutions segment profit declined $0.9 million and $3.8 million for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, and also declined as a percentage of revenue, compared to the same periods in the prior year, respectively. These declines were a result of the decline in revenue, including the loss of a large hospitality client in the prior year due to their decision to insource hiring for high-volume roles, the effects of which were softened by our cost management actions and inorganic growth from the acquisition of HSP.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

The following highlights represent our operating outlook. These expectations are subject to revision as our business changes with the overall economy. As part of our strategic plan to optimize our business model, create efficiencies and bring our teams closer to our clients and associates, we continue to leverage existing systems, and refocus our team on sales efforts to deliver future growth.

Operating outlook

• We expect revenue growth for the fiscal third quarter of 2025 to be between 5% and 11% as compared to the same period in the prior year. This range assumes current market conditions continue, and includes approximately 4% inorganic growth from the acquisition of HSP.
• We anticipate gross profit as a percentage of revenue to decline between 280 and 240 basis points for the fiscal third quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in the prior year, due to prior year workers’ compensation reserve adjustment benefits not expected to repeat at the same level in the current year, as well as changes in business mix.
• For the fiscal third quarter of 2025, we anticipate SG&A expense to be between $93 million and $97 million, representing a decline compared to the same period in the prior year due to our cost management efforts.
• We expect basic weighted average shares outstanding to be approximately 30 million for the fiscal third quarter of 2025. This expectation does not include the impact of potential share repurchases.
• Due to the valuation allowance against our U.S. federal, state and certain foreign deferred tax assets, we expect minimal income tax expense for the fiscal third quarter of 2025.

Liquidity outlook

• We expect capital expenditures and spending for software as a service assets to be between $17 million and $21 million for fiscal 2025. Approximately $3 million relates to spending for software as a service assets.

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We believe we have a strong financial position and sufficient sources of funding to meet our short- and long-term obligations. As of June 29, 2025, we had $21.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $53.8 million debt outstanding. Under the Revolving Credit Facility, $2.7 million was utilized by outstanding standby letters of credit, leaving $198.5 million unused, of which $79.0 million is available for additional borrowing after considering our most restrictive covenant. We have an option to increase the total line of credit amount under the Revolving Credit Facility from $255.0 million to $405.0 million, subject to lender approval.

Cash generated through our core operations is generally our primary source of liquidity. Our principal ongoing cash needs are to finance working capital, fund capital expenditures, repay outstanding Revolving Credit Facility balances, and execute share repurchases. We manage working capital through timely collection of accounts receivable, which we achieve through focused collection efforts and tightly monitoring trends in days sales outstanding. While client payment terms are generally 90 days or less, we pay our associates daily and weekly, so additional financing through the use of our Revolving Credit Facility is sometimes necessary to support working capital needs in times of revenue growth. We also manage working capital through efficient cost management and strategically timing payments of accounts payable.

We continue to make investments in our technology platforms to increase the competitive differentiation of our services long-term and improve the efficiency of our service delivery model. In addition, we continue to transition our technology from on-premise software platforms to cloud-based software solutions to increase automation and the efficiency of running our business.

Outside of ongoing cash needed to support core operations, our insurance carriers and certain state workers’ compensation programs require us to collateralize a portion of our workers’ compensation obligation, for which they become responsible should we become insolvent. On a regular basis, these entities assess the amount of collateral they will require from us relative to our workers’ compensation obligation. Such amounts can increase or decrease independent of our assessments and reserves. We continue to have risk that these collateral requirements may be increased by our insurers due to our loss history and market dynamics. We pay our premiums and deposit our collateral, if required, in installments. The collateral typically takes the form of cash and cash-backed instruments, highly rated investment grade securities, letters of credit, and surety bonds. Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments supporting our self-insured workers’ compensation obligation are held in a trust at the Bank of New York Mellon (“Trust”) and are used to pay workers’ compensation claims as they are filed. See Note 7: Workers' Compensation Insurance and Reserves, and Note 4: Restricted Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments, to our consolidated financial statements found in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for details on our workers’ compensation program as well as the restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments held in Trust.

We have established investment policy directives for the Trust with the first priority to preserve capital, second to ensure sufficient liquidity to pay workers’ compensation claims, third to diversify the investment portfolio and fourth to maximize after-tax returns. Trust investments must meet minimum acceptable quality standards. The primary investments include U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. agency debentures, U.S. agency mortgages, corporate securities and municipal securities. For those investments rated by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations the minimum ratings at time of purchase are:

Total collateral commitments decreased $25.6 million during the twenty-six-week period ended June 29, 2025, primarily due to a decrease in collateral levels required by our insurance carriers, as well as the use of collateral to satisfy workers’ compensation claims. See Note 9: Commitments and Contingencies, to our consolidated financial statements found in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for additional details on our workers’ compensation commitments. We continue to actively manage workers’ compensation cost by focusing on improving our associate safety programs, and actively control costs with our network of service providers. These actions have had a positive impact creating favorable adjustments to workers’ compensation liabilities recorded in the prior periods. Continued favorable adjustments to our prior year workers’ compensation liabilities are dependent on our ability to continue to aggressively lower accident rates and costs of our claims. Due to our progress in worker safety improvements and the resulting reduction in the frequency and severity of accident rates, we expect diminishing favorable adjustments to our workers' compensation liabilities going forward.

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Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments also includes collateral to support our non-qualified deferred compensation plan in the form of company-owned life insurance policies. Our non-qualified deferred compensation plan is managed by a third-party service provider, and the investments backing the company-owned life insurance policies align with the amount and timing of payments based on employee elections.

A summary of our cash flows for each period are as follows:

(in thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities

Operating cash flows consist of net income (loss) adjusted for non-cash benefits and expenses, and changes in operating assets and liabilities.

As client demand declines, the result is a deleveraging of accounts receivable and accounts payable. Accrued wages and benefits can fluctuate based on whether the period end requires the accrual of one or two weeks of payroll, the amount and timing of bonus payments, and timing of payroll tax payments.

Net cash provided by accounts receivable collections through deleveraging during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025 was partially offset by an increase in days sales outstanding of approximately one day compared to the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024, primarily due to a higher percentage of receivables with longer payment terms. Net cash used for payments on accounts payable and accrued expenses was primarily related to timing of payments to vendors as well as a decrease in certain accrued expenses that fluctuate with revenue. In addition, our workers’ compensation claims reserve for estimated claims decreases as demand for contingent labor services decreases, and as a result of favorable adjustments to prior year reserves, both of which were the case in the current period.

Cash flows from investing activities

Investing cash flows consist of capital expenditures, business acquisitions, net proceeds from divestiture, and purchases, sales, and maturities of restricted investments, which are managed in line with our workers’ compensation collateral funding requirements and timing of claim payments.

The primary use of cash for investing activities during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025 was the acquisition of HSP. Capital expenditures also included continued investments to upgrade our PeopleReady on-demand technology platform. Cash used was partially offset by cash provided by maturities of restricted investments to pay workers’ compensation claims.

Cash flows from financing activities

Financing cash flows consist primarily of repurchases of common stock as part of our publicly announced share repurchase program, amounts to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations upon the vesting of restricted stock, the net change in our Revolving Credit Facility, and proceeds from the sale of common stock through our employee stock purchase plan.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025 was due to draws on our Revolving Credit Facility, primarily to fund the acquisition of HSP and finance working capital needs. While we have not executed share repurchases during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025, $33.5 million remains available for repurchase under existing authorizations as of June 29, 2025. We are limited to $25.0 million in aggregate share repurchases in any twelve-month period by our financial covenants.

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SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our critical accounting estimates are discussed in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024. The following has been updated to reflect changes made during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025.

Accounts receivable allowance for credit losses

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount. We establish an estimate for the allowance for credit losses resulting from the failure of our clients to make required payments by applying an aging schedule to pools of assets with similar risk characteristics. Based on an analysis of the risk characteristics of our clients and associated receivables, we have concluded our pools are as follows:

• PeopleReady (excluding RenewableWorks) has a large, diverse set of clients, generally with frequent, low dollar invoices due to the daily nature of the work we perform. This results in high turnover in accounts receivable.
• Centerline Drivers (“Centerline”) has a mix of client sizes, many with low dollar weekly invoices, but other clients that are invoiced on a consolidated basis, resulting in a high concentration of revenue related to its top 10 clients. Payment terms are slightly longer than PeopleReady.
• Our PeopleScout and Healthcare Staffing Professionals (“HSP”) brands have a smaller number of clients in a variety of industries, and are generally invoiced monthly on a consolidated basis. Invoice amounts are generally higher for these brands than our other businesses, with longer payment terms than PeopleReady and Centerline. These businesses also have significant balances due from governmental entities.
• Our Staff Management | SMX and SIMOS Insourcing Solutions brands have a smaller number of clients, and follow a contractual billing schedule. These clients generally operate in the manufacturing, warehousing and distribution industries and have longer payment terms than our other businesses.
• Our RenewableWorks brand has a small number of large clients that operate in the energy industry, generally with high dollar invoices, and follows a contractual billing schedule. Payment terms are slightly longer than most of our other businesses.

When specific clients are identified as no longer sharing the same risk profile as their current pool, they are removed from the pool and evaluated separately. The credit loss rates applied to each aging category by pool are based on current collection efforts, historical collection trends, write-off experience, client credit risk, current economic data and forecasted information. The allowance for credit loss is reviewed and represents our best estimate of the amount of expected credit losses. Past due or delinquent balances are identified based upon a review of aged receivables performed by collections and operations. Past due balances are written off when it is probable the receivable will not be collected. Changes in the allowance for credit losses are recorded in SG&A expense on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets

We evaluate goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter, or whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that an impairment may have occurred. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in general economic conditions, deterioration in industry environment, changes in cost factors, declining operating performance indicators, legal factors, competition, client engagement, changes in the carrying amount of net assets, a sale or disposition of a significant portion of a reporting unit, or a sustained decrease in stock price. We monitor the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year.

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Goodwill

We test for goodwill impairment at the reporting unit level. We consider our reporting units to be our operating segments or one level below that (the component level) based on our organizational structure. Effective March 31, 2025 (the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2025), we combined our PeopleScout RPO and PeopleScout MSP reporting units into one reporting unit, PeopleScout. This change coincided with the elimination of PeopleScout MSP as an operating segment within the PeopleSolutions reportable segment. Immediately before the combination, we tested the PeopleScout RPO reporting unit, with a remaining goodwill balance of $22.4 million, and the PeopleScout MSP reporting unit, with a remaining goodwill balance of $0.8 million, for impairment. The PeopleScout RPO reporting unit’s fair value was substantially in excess of its carrying value, and the PeopleScout MSP reporting unit’s fair value approximated its carrying value. After combining the reporting units, the fair value of the PeopleScout reporting unit was substantially in excess of its carrying value. As a result, no impairment charge was recognized. Our reporting units with remaining goodwill as of June 29, 2025 were Centerline, PeopleScout, and HSP.

When evaluating goodwill for impairment, we may first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Qualitative factors include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions and overall company financial performance. If, after assessing the totality of events and circumstances, we determine that it is more likely than not the fair value of the reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is unnecessary.

The quantitative impairment test, if necessary, involves comparing the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. Fair value reflects the price a market participant would be willing to pay in a potential sale of the reporting unit. If the fair value exceeds the carrying value, we conclude that no goodwill impairment has occurred. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, we recognize an impairment charge in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value of the goodwill. We consider a reporting unit’s fair value to be substantially in excess of its carrying value at a 20% premium or greater.

Determining the fair value of a reporting unit when performing a quantitative impairment test involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions to evaluate the impact of operational and economic changes on each reporting unit. We estimate the fair value using a weighting of the income and market valuation approaches. The income approach applies a fair value methodology to each reporting unit based on discounted cash flows. This analysis requires significant estimates and judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur, and determination of our weighted average cost of capital, which is risk-adjusted to reflect the specific risk profile of the reporting unit being tested. We also apply a market approach, which develops a value correlation based on the market capitalization of similar publicly traded companies, referred to as a multiple, to apply to the operating results of the reporting units. The primary market multiples to which we compare are revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

We base fair value estimates on assumptions we believe to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. Actual future results may differ from those estimates. We confirm the reasonableness of the valuation conclusions by comparing the indicated values of all the reporting units to the overall company value indicated by the stock price and outstanding shares as of the valuation date, or market capitalization.

We performed our annual goodwill impairment test as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2025. The weighted average cost of capital used in our most recent impairment test was risk-adjusted to reflect the specific risk profile of the reporting unit, and ranged from 14.5% to 16.5%. The combined fair values for all reporting units were then reconciled to our aggregate market value of our shares of common stock on the date of valuation.

Based on the results of our annual impairment test, all of our reporting units’ fair values were substantially in excess of their respective carrying values, except for HSP, for which the estimated fair value was in excess of its carrying value by approximately 5%. This level of headroom is expected, due to the short amount of time that has passed between the acquisition date, when the carrying value of the reporting unit approximated its fair value, and our annual impairment test as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2025. A discount rate of 15.5% was used in calculating the fair value of the HSP reporting unit. In the event either the discount rate increases, forecasted revenue growth declines, or gross profit as a percentage of revenue declines by less than 1 percentage point, the carrying value of the reporting unit would exceed its fair value. Any significant adverse change in our near- or long-term projections or macroeconomic conditions could result in future impairment charges. The goodwill balance for HSP as of June 29, 2025 was $17.5 million. We will continue to closely monitor the operational performance of this reporting unit.

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Indefinite-lived intangible assets

We have indefinite-lived intangible assets for trademarks related to businesses within our PeopleManagement and PeopleSolutions segments. We evaluate our indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter, or whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that an impairment may have occurred. These events or circumstances could include significant changes in general economic conditions, deterioration in industry environment, changes in cost factors, declining operating performance indicators, legal factors, competition, client engagement, or a sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business. We monitor the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year.

When evaluating indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, we may first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. Qualitative factors include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions and overall company financial performance. If, after assessing the totality of events and circumstances, we determine that it is more likely than not the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is greater than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is unnecessary.

The quantitative impairment test, if necessary, utilizes the relief from royalty method to determine the fair value of each of our trademarks. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, we recognize an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value. Management uses considerable judgment to determine key assumptions, including forecasted future revenue, royalty rates and appropriate discount rates.

As a result of our annual impairment test as of the first day of our fiscal second quarter of 2025, we concluded that a trademark related to the PeopleManagement segment exceeded its estimated fair value and we recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $0.2 million, which was included in goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2025. The charge was primarily driven by an increase in the discount rate of 1.0% since our last impairment test. The remaining balance for this trademark was $2.5 million as of June 29, 2025. As of our impairment testing date, the fair value of the trademark related to the PeopleSolutions segment was in excess of its carrying amount of $2.1 million, and therefore did not result in an impairment.

NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

See Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements found in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Our quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk are discussed in Part II, Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024, and have not changed materially.

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We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Our disclosure controls and procedures are also designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

During the fiscal second quarter of 2025, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures at a reasonable assurance level, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level, as of June 29, 2025.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during our most recently completed fiscal quarter that materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

The certifications required by Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act are filed as exhibits 31.1 and 31.2, respectively, to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

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This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2024. With the exception of the risk factors noted below, which update the risk factors in our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2024, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed therein.

Investing in our securities involves risk. The following risk factors and all other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be considered in evaluating our future prospects. If any of the events described below occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, or access to the capital markets could be materially and adversely affected.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMPANY’S OPERATIONS

Demand for our workforce solutions is significantly affected by fluctuations in general economic conditions.

The demand for our workforce solutions is highly dependent upon the state of the economy and the workforce needs of our clients, which creates uncertainty and volatility in our operations. Our profitability is sensitive to decreases in demand. National and global economic activity is slowed by many factors, including rising interest rates, recessionary periods, inflation, changes in international trade policies, declining consumer confidence, political and legislative policy changes, reductions in government funding, international conflict or instability, epidemics, other significant health concerns, and global trade uncertainties. As economic activity slows, companies tend to reduce their use of associates and recruitment of new employees. We work in a broad range of industries that primarily include construction, manufacturing and logistics, warehousing and distribution, waste and recycling, energy, transportation, retail and hospitality. Significant declines in demand from any region or industry in which we have a major presence, domestic or global supply chain disruptions, or decline in the financial health of our clients, significantly decreases our revenues and profits. For example, we experienced significantly reduced demand from our clients due to the coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) and the resulting supply chain disruptions in the manufacturing and renewable energy sectors we serve. Global pandemics or other disruptions to the supply chain may impact our financial condition or results of operations and could have a material impact on the businesses or productivity of our clients, employees, associates and other partners.

A deterioration in economic conditions, global supply chain issues, political instability, tariffs, rising energy prices, a recession or fear of a recession, and the related governmental responses to these concerns, or otherwise, could lead to a prolonged decline in demand for our services and negatively impact our business. During challenging economic times or in the event of a reduction or elimination of government funding, our clients, including but not limited to those that rely on government support, may face reduced demand for their services, reduced revenue, and issues gaining access to sufficient credit, which has resulted in and could in the future result in a reduction in the need for our services, or an impairment of their ability to make payments to us, timely or otherwise, for services rendered. If that were to occur, it may adversely affect our results of operations.

It is difficult for us to forecast future demand for our services due to the inherent uncertainty in forecasting the direction and strength of economic cycles and the project-based nature of our staffing assignments. The uncertainty can be exacerbated by volatile economic conditions, which have caused and may continue to cause clients to reduce or defer projects for which they utilize our services. The negative impact to our business can occur before, during or after a decline in economic activity is seen in the broader economy. When it is difficult for us to accurately forecast future demand, we may not be able to determine the optimal level of personnel and investment necessary to profitably manage our business in light of opportunities and risks we face.

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Acquisitions may have an adverse effect on our business.

We may make additional acquisitions as part of our business strategy. However, this strategy may be impeded and we may not achieve our long-term growth goals if we cannot identify suitable acquisition candidates or if acquisition candidates are not available under acceptable terms. We may have difficulty integrating acquired companies into our operating, financial planning, and financial reporting systems and may not effectively manage acquired companies to achieve expected growth. Despite diligence and integration planning, acquisitions may also present challenges in bringing together different work cultures and personnel. Acquisitions into new markets could be more difficult for us to forecast or predict business trends, or may come with dependencies with which we have less experience. Difficulties in integrating our acquisitions, including attracting and retaining talent to grow and manage these acquired businesses, may adversely affect our results of operations.

Future acquisitions could result in incurring additional debt and contingent liabilities, an increase in interest expense, amortization expense, and charges related to integration costs. Additional indebtedness could also impact financial covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations. We may also issue equity securities to pay for an acquisition, which could result in dilution to our shareholders. Any acquisitions we announce could be viewed negatively by investors, which may adversely affect the price of our common stock.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY

Our business is subject to evolving regulations and stakeholders’ expectations that could expose us to numerous risks.

Institutional, individual and other investors, proxy advisor services, regulatory authorities, clients, employees and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on the practices of companies, including sustainability, human capital management, data privacy and security, supply chains (including human rights issues) and climate change, among other topics. These requirements, expectations, and/or frameworks, which can include assessments and ratings published by third-party firms, are not synchronized and vary by stakeholder, industry, and geography. Our reputation could be affected by our position, or silence, regarding one or more of these initiatives.

These evolving stakeholder expectations and our efforts and ability to respond to and manage these issues, provide updates on them, and establish and meet appropriate goals, commitments and targets related to these initiatives present numerous operational, regulatory, reputational, financial, legal, and other risks and impacts. Our efforts in this area may result in a significant increase in costs and may nevertheless not meet, or conflict with, investor, client or other stakeholder expectations and evolving standards or regulatory requirements. Such costs or conflicts may negatively impact our financial results, our reputation, our ability to attract and retain employees, our attractiveness as a service provider, investment or business partner, or may expose us to government enforcement actions, litigation, and actions by shareholders or stakeholders.

GENERAL RISK FACTORS

Our shareholder rights plan and some provisions of Washington law include terms and conditions that could discourage a takeover or other transaction that shareholders may consider favorable.

On May 14, 2025, the Board of Directors (“Board”) approved the adoption of a limited-duration shareholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”) pursuant to a Rights Agreement, dated as of May 14, 2025, which may be amended from time to time (the “Rights Agreement”), between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent. The Rights Agreement was adopted in response to the unsolicited proposal from HireQuest, Inc. (“HQI”) to acquire all common stock of the Company at $7.50 per share. Pursuant to the Rights Plan, the Board declared a dividend of one preferred stock purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of TrueBlue common stock. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred”) of the Company at a price of $30 per one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Preferred, subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments.

The Rights are not exercisable until the earlier of (a) ten days after a public announcement that a person or group has acquired, or obtained the right to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% (or 20% in the case of a passive institutional investor) or more of TrueBlue common stock (including certain synthetic equity positions created by derivative securities, which are treated as beneficial ownership of the number of shares of TrueBlue common stock equivalent to the economic exposure created by the synthetic equity position, subject to certain specified conditions) (an “Acquiring Person”) or (b) ten business days (or a later date determined by our Board) after a person or group begins a tender or an exchange offer that, if completed, would result in that person or group becoming an Acquiring Person.

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The Agreement Rights will expire on May 13, 2026, subject to the Company’s right to extend such date unless (x) prior to such date Stockholder Approval (as defined in the Rights Agreement) has been obtained to extend the Rights or (y) the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company or terminated.

The Rights have certain anti-takeover effects, including potentially discouraging a takeover that shareholders may consider favorable. The Rights will cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms not approved by the Board.

In addition, because we are incorporated in the State of Washington, we are governed by the provisions of Chapter 23B.19 of the Washington Business Corporation Act, which prohibits certain business combinations between us and certain significant shareholders unless specified conditions are met. These provisions may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the company, even if this change of control would benefit our shareholders.

Unsolicited acquisition proposals and attempts to acquire control of the Company could cause us to incur significant expense, disrupt our business, result in a proxy contest or litigation and impact our stock price.

We have been, and may continue to be, subject to unsolicited acquisition proposals, tender offers, or proxy contests to gain control of the Company, which could result in substantial costs to the Company and divert management’s and our Board’s attention and resources from our business. Such events could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with our employees, customers or suppliers, and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. We have been, and may continue to be, required to incur significant fees and other expenses in responding to these events, including for required regulatory responses and third-party advisors. We also may be subjected to shareholder litigation in connection with these events. Our stock price could be subject to significant fluctuations or otherwise be adversely affected by speculative market perceptions about these events, risks, and uncertainties.

For example, on May 13, 2025, HQI publicly announced by press release an unsolicited proposal to acquire all of the Company’s outstanding stock for $7.50 per share (the “HQI Proposal”). After consultation with the Company’s independent financial and legal advisors regarding the Company’s business strategy, historic, current and future valuation, potential alternative opportunities and a careful review of the HQI Proposal , our Board unanimously rejected the HQI Proposal, as the proposal failed to maximize value for all shareholders and is not in the best interest of the Company’s shareholders.