The Canadian staffing index, a measure of staffing activity in Canada, remained at a reading of 101 in May, the same index value as April. However, the index fell 6% year over year from 108 in May 2014.

The index value of 100 corresponds to the size of the industry in July 2008, when the index began.

“Throughout 2015 we have observed a trend of moderate year-over-year declines in the Canadian staffing index,” said David Francis, research associate at Staffing Industry Analysts. “This trend continued in the month of May, although we note that May of this year had one less working day than May of last year, suggesting that when adjusting for the number of billing days the volume of demand in May was roughly the same or slightly lower than a year ago.”

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.