ManpowerGroup, the U.S.-based multinational human resource consulting firm, released its third annual Contingent Workforce Index (CWI) on September 15 in a press release on prnewswire.com. New Zealand claimed the top spot with a score of 2.88, followed closely by the United States (2.87) in second and Canada (2.80) taking third.

Overall, the system tracks and scores based on relative ease of sourcing, hiring, and retaining contingent workforces in countries around the world. In total, there are 50 conditions and statistics that influence the ranking.

The four main categories of the index are: Availability, Cost Efficiency, Regulation and Productivity. The exact weighting of each can vary depending on a variety of factors.

New Zealand topped the list this year after a change in the index’s weighting of quality of education and skill, according to the industry news source StaffingIndustry.com.

“Business leaders are paying more attention to talent shortages, particularly the potential for a shrinking workforce due to an aging population,” said Kate Donovan, senior vice president of ManpowerGroup Solutions in a statement. “Rising in importance is a population’s English proficiency, given the increased costs that result when proficiency is low. These shifting priorities have resulted in major swings among the most optimal markets for businesses seeking to use a contingent workforce, and the Index is a great tool for ManpowerGroup Solutions and our clients for determining where to expand business operations.”

The U.S. retained the second-place status it also held last year. Contingent, contracted, and freelance labor has become prevalent in America, with 90% of all firms utilizing some type of those services.

Israel was one of the countries that made the biggest leap going from 13th last year to the fifth place spot on this year’s list. In the report issued with the ranking, the group found that Israel has established itself as a top market for the employment of skilled labor and an innovative economy.

According to the company’s own press release, the report provides “Unparalleled insights into contingent workforce planning, which helps organizations develop short- and long-term business and workforce strategies, from expanding MSP programs internationally, to capacity planning and global sourcing.”

The entire list can be viewed on the ManpowerGroup website.