The Canadian staffing index, a measure of staffing activity in Canada, rose to a reading of 108 in April. The April reading is up 1 percent from the March index value of 107 and down 6 percent from a year-ago reading of 115.

“So far in 2014, we have had four months with the index showing a single-digit decline compared with the prior year, which suggests a trend of modest contraction in overall volume of demand for temporary staffing in Canada,” said Timothy Landhuis, senior research analyst at Staffing Industry Analysts.

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