57 Percent of Americans Consider Themselves Overworked, According to Monster's 2003 Work/Life Balance Survey

MAYNARD, Mass., Jul 29, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With the U.S. economy slow to recover, many workers find themselves facing larger workloads, rising unemployment and a dwindling pool of co-workers. Past and present company downsizing has added responsibilities to the average employee, resulting in an overworked and stressed American workforce. In fact, according to Monster's 2003 Work/Life Balance survey, 80 percent of Americans are unhappy with their work/life balance and 71 percent admit to clocking more than 40 hours per week. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster(R), the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy, and the workplace.

Americans are not the only workers with long hours. 57 percent of European Monster Meter respondents put in more than 40 hours per week; however, U.S. workers are known around the globe for working long hours and many acknowledge the trend: 57 percent of Monster users consider themselves overworked.

"It's no surprise that workers are putting in longer hours than they'd like, perhaps making up for company downsizing in the midst of an economy that is slow to recover," said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster. "However, today's worker should seek ways to create work/life harmony - it's the right balance to keep you happy in your job and your life."

2003 Work/Life Balance Results

The Monster Meter asked:

1) "Are you happy with your work/life balance?"(a)
• 80% (28,987 votes) said: "No."
• 20% (7,141 votes) said: "Yes."

  2) "Are you satisfied with your job?"(b)

• 83% (32,275 votes) said: "No."
• 17% (6,758 votes) said: "Yes."

  3) "Do you consider yourself overworked?"(c)

• 57% (35,043 votes) said: "Yes."
• 43% (26,303 votes) said: "No."

United States vs. Europe - Hours Worked

Monster US:

4a) "How many hours a week do you work?"(d)
• 46% (29,281 votes) said: "Between 40 and 50 hours."
• 25% (16,169 votes) said: "50 hours or more."
• 19% (12,313 votes) said: Between 25 and 40 hours."
• 10% (6,561 votes) said: "Fewer than 25 hours."

  Monster Europe:

  4b) "How many hours do you work a week?"(e)

• 40% (8,128 votes) said: "Between 40 and 50 hours."
• 33% (6,766 votes) said: "Between 25 and 40 hours."
• 17% (3,480 votes) said: "50 hours or more."
• 10% (2,193 votes) said: "Less than 25 hours."

(a) The results of the current Monster Meter are based on 36,128 votes cast by Monster users from June 16th to June 23rd, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster's current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of past polls by going to http://content.monster.com/polls/. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

(b) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 39,033 votes cast by Monster users from June 23rd to June 30th, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(c) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 61,346 votes cast by Monster users from April 14th to April 21st, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(d) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 64,324 votes cast by Monster users from March 24th to March 31st, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(e) The results of the European Monster Meter are based on a record 20,567 votes cast on Monster's sites across Europe from February 17th to March 3rd, 2003 on the Monster homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation

About Monster

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 45.9 million unique visits during the month of June 2003, according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland. Monster is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. More information about Monster is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

About Monster Worldwide

Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. (formerly TMP Worldwide Inc.) is the online recruitment leader and the parent company of Monster, the leading global careers website. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,500 employees in 19 countries, Monster Worldwide is also the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and a provider of direct marketing services. The Company's clients include more than 90 of the Fortune 100 and more than 490 of the Fortune 500 companies. Monster Worldwide (Nasdaq: MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com.

Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

Monster
Kevin Mullins, 978/461-8751
kevin.mullins@monster.com
or
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Jackie Pigliucci, 617/520-7066
jpigliucci@webershandwick.com