The Canadian staffing index, a measure of staffing activity in Canada, rose to a reading of 101 in December, up 2 percent from a reading of 99 in December a year ago. On a sequential basis, the index value fell 11 percent in December from the November index value of 114.

“The December value of 101 is up 2 percent from a year ago, which implies that total hourly demand was roughly unchanged from last year given that December had one more working day compared to a year ago,” said Timothy Landhuis, senior research analyst at Staffing Industry Analysts. “For most of 2013, the index has shown a trend of very minimal year-over-year growth in billed hours.”

The Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services and Staffing Industry Analysts produce the index. It is based upon reported billed hours for temporary staffing from a survey of leading staffing firms.