The Canadian staffing index, a measure of staffing activity in Canada, fell to a reading of 98 in January, a decrease of 6% from the reading of 104 in January 2014. The index fell 3% sequentially from the December index value of 101.

“Throughout 2014, we observed a trend of modest year-over-year declines in the index,” said David Francis, research associate at Staffing Industry Analysts. “The index continued to be down 6% year-over-year in January, although we note that there was one less working day in 2015 than in 2014, which accounts for some of the decline seen in the index.”

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.