The Canadian staffing index, a measure of staffing activity in Canada, pointed to strong growth in October, its 13th month above pre-recession levels. However, the index ended a 12-month streak of double-digit year-over-year growth.

“A good score was expected for October as it is traditionally a strong month for staffing, and we were not disappointed,” said Ted Maksimowski, national director of the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services as well as owner and franchise developer for Express Employment Professionals.

“We started reporting the Canadian staffing index in July of 2008,” Maksimowski said. “This month’s value of 125 is the highest we have ever had. It reflects positively on the Canadian economy and the value that businesses see in utilizing temporary staffing.”

October’s index value is up 8 percent compared to the same month last year.

“October is the 13th consecutive month with the index above 100,” said Timothy Landhuis, research analyst at Staffing Industry Analysts. “This shows that the industry has sustained activity above pre-recession levels in terms of the volume of demand for temporary staffing for more than a year now.”

ACSESS and Staffing Industry Analysts produce the index, which measures the hours of labor performed by temporary and contract staff compared to the benchmark index of 100 established in July 2008. It is based upon reported billed hours for temporary staffing from a survey of leading staffing firms.