Online job postings in Canada registered their biggest gain in three years in August, according to the Conference Board of Canada help-wanted index released on Thursday, reflecting more hiring as the recovery advances.

The index jumped 8 percentage points to 104.1 in August and has registered gains in five of the eight months so far this year, the independent research organization said.

Although the index points to continuing employment growth, we expect the pace of job gains to slow in the coming months, the board said in a news release.

The economy has generated nearly 400,000 jobs in the year to August, bringing employment levels back to pre-recession levels. But economists warn that the fast-paced jobs growth is unlikely to continue into next year.

The help-wanted index is based on the seasonally adjusted number of new, unduplicated vacancies posted online during the month across 79 Canadian job-posting websites. (Reporting by Louise Egan; editing by Peter Galloway)

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