diff --git a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.c b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.c
index 486d63550ede646a6c52741220dad82d735a3fc5..f09a03f929d3736dbf4a14bc747b72ddc0a3a38f 100644
--- a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.c
+++ b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.c
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@
     __itt_domain* __kmp_itt_imbalance_domains[KMP_MAX_FRAME_DOMAINS];
     kmp_int32 __kmp_itt_region_team_size[KMP_MAX_FRAME_DOMAINS];
     __itt_domain * metadata_domain = NULL;
+    __itt_string_handle * string_handle_imbl = NULL;
+    __itt_string_handle * string_handle_loop = NULL;
+    __itt_string_handle * string_handle_sngl = NULL;
 
     #include "kmp_version.h"
     #include "kmp_i18n.h"
diff --git a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.h b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.h
index 96a95951baac0763962812c2c08cf5b068f14e44..286023d7fd0c18f343c668c621c207cc7d88b5ff 100644
--- a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.h
+++ b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.h
@@ -264,6 +264,9 @@ __kmp_inline void __kmp_itt_stack_callee_leave(__itt_caller);
     extern __itt_domain* __kmp_itt_imbalance_domains[KMP_MAX_FRAME_DOMAINS];
     extern kmp_int32 __kmp_itt_region_team_size[KMP_MAX_FRAME_DOMAINS];
     extern __itt_domain * metadata_domain;
+    extern __itt_string_handle * string_handle_imbl;
+    extern __itt_string_handle * string_handle_loop;
+    extern __itt_string_handle * string_handle_sngl;
 
 #else
 
diff --git a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.inl b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.inl
index 8b9ff6fcaf4d17024e2814de41bf6337b9e4dce6..fbf84908e477219df4e61e1c81827e0719f55a15 100644
--- a/runtime/src/kmp_itt.inl
+++ b/runtime/src/kmp_itt.inl
@@ -315,20 +315,21 @@ __kmp_itt_metadata_imbalance( int gtid, kmp_uint64 begin, kmp_uint64 end, kmp_ui
         if( metadata_domain == NULL) {
             __itt_suppress_push(__itt_suppress_memory_errors);
             metadata_domain = __itt_domain_create( "OMP Metadata" );
+            string_handle_imbl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_imbalance");
+            string_handle_loop = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_loop");
+            string_handle_sngl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_single");
             __itt_suppress_pop();
         }
         __kmp_release_bootstrap_lock( & metadata_lock );
     }
 
-    __itt_string_handle * string_handle = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_imbalance");
-
     kmp_uint64 imbalance_data[ 4 ];
     imbalance_data[ 0 ] = begin;
     imbalance_data[ 1 ] = end;
     imbalance_data[ 2 ] = imbalance;
     imbalance_data[ 3 ] = reduction;
 
-    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle, __itt_metadata_u64, 4, imbalance_data);
+    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle_imbl, __itt_metadata_u64, 4, imbalance_data);
 #endif
 } // __kmp_itt_metadata_imbalance
 
@@ -342,13 +343,14 @@ __kmp_itt_metadata_loop( ident_t * loc, kmp_uint64 sched_type, kmp_uint64 iterat
         if( metadata_domain == NULL) {
             __itt_suppress_push(__itt_suppress_memory_errors);
             metadata_domain = __itt_domain_create( "OMP Metadata" );
+            string_handle_imbl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_imbalance");
+            string_handle_loop = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_loop");
+            string_handle_sngl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_single");
             __itt_suppress_pop();
         }
         __kmp_release_bootstrap_lock( & metadata_lock );
     }
 
-    __itt_string_handle * string_handle = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_loop");
-
     // Parse line and column from psource string: ";file;func;line;col;;"
     char * s_line;
     char * s_col;
@@ -373,7 +375,7 @@ __kmp_itt_metadata_loop( ident_t * loc, kmp_uint64 sched_type, kmp_uint64 iterat
     loop_data[ 3 ] = iterations;
     loop_data[ 4 ] = chunk;
 
-    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle, __itt_metadata_u64, 5, loop_data);
+    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle_loop, __itt_metadata_u64, 5, loop_data);
 #endif
 } // __kmp_itt_metadata_loop
 
@@ -387,12 +389,14 @@ __kmp_itt_metadata_single( ident_t * loc ) {
         if( metadata_domain == NULL) {
             __itt_suppress_push(__itt_suppress_memory_errors);
             metadata_domain = __itt_domain_create( "OMP Metadata" );
+            string_handle_imbl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_imbalance");
+            string_handle_loop = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_loop");
+            string_handle_sngl = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_single");
             __itt_suppress_pop();
         }
         __kmp_release_bootstrap_lock( & metadata_lock );
     }
 
-    __itt_string_handle * string_handle = __itt_string_handle_create( "omp_metadata_single");
     kmp_str_loc_t str_loc = __kmp_str_loc_init( loc->psource, 1 );
     kmp_uint64 single_data[ 2 ];
     single_data[ 0 ] = str_loc.line;
@@ -400,7 +404,7 @@ __kmp_itt_metadata_single( ident_t * loc ) {
 
     __kmp_str_loc_free( &str_loc );
 
-    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle, __itt_metadata_u64, 2, single_data);
+    __itt_metadata_add(metadata_domain, __itt_null, string_handle_sngl, __itt_metadata_u64, 2, single_data);
 #endif
 } // __kmp_itt_metadata_single