Job Seekers Underestimate Nationwide Opportunities to Work for Federal Government

Poll reveals job seekers are unaware that most government jobs are outside metropolitan Washington, D.C.

Public service job opportunities on Monster span the nation

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2002-- As the government seeks to fill thousands of federal, state and local positions, one belief may be preventing job seekers from pursuing careers in government. According to poll results released today by Monster, the leading global online careers property and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW), many job seekers are unaware that the opportunity to work for the government exists in many cities and states throughout the country. As part of its commitment to educating job seekers about the benefits of careers in government, Monster also revealed that 64 percent of government job opportunities on its site fall outside of metropolitan Washington, D.C.(a)

Monster poll findings affirm the misconception

A recent Monster Meter poll confirms job seekers are unaware that public service jobs are available across the nation. Only one-third (34 percent) of the 21,149 respondents correctly identified that only about 15 percent of federal government jobs are located in Washington, D.C.(1) The remaining 66 percent mistakenly believe 25 percent or more federal jobs are located inside "the beltway." Site visitors on MonsterTRAK, Monster's career resource for college students and alumni, had the same misconception, with 66 percent indicating they believe most federal jobs are confined to the Washington, D.C. area.

The Monster Meter, an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy, and the workplace, asked users:

"What percentage of federal government jobs do you think are located in Washington, D.C.?"(b):

  • 34% (7,237 votes) said 15%
  • 30% (6,368 votes) said 25%
  • 20% (4,138 votes) said 50%
  • 15% (3,082 votes) said 75%
  • 1% (324 votes) said 100%

The same question was posted to college students on MonsterTRAK(c):

  • 34% (1,422 votes) said 15%
  • 30% (1,258 votes) said 25%
  • 20% (823 votes) said 50%
  • 14% (600 votes) said 75%
  • 2% (72 votes) said 100%

"There is an abundance of government jobs available throughout the United States, making now a great time for the more than eight million unemployed people in this country to consider employment in the public sector a viable career option," said Jeff Taylor, founder and chairman of Monster. "While government jobs still flourish in and around the nation's capital, Monster provides job seekers information about and access to a wide range of federal, state and local government positions located right in their own backyards."

Monster Public Service

Launched in September 2002 as part of an alliance with The Partnership for Public Service, Monster Public Service connects job seekers with available government opportunities. The featured Monster channel provides access to information on thousands of federal, state and local job opportunities in a variety of industries and editorial content designed to educate job seekers about government career opportunities. More information is available at http://publicservice.monster.com.

(a)According to Monster Data Intelligence, a group focused on analyzing Monster data.

(b)The results of the Monster Meter are based on 21,149 votes cast by Monster users from October 28th to November 4th, 2002 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://midcareer.monster.com/polls/.

(c)The results of the MonsterTRAK poll are based on 4,175 votes cast by MonsterTRAK users from October 28th to November 11th, 2002 on the homepage of MonsterTRAK (http://www.monstertrak.com). Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The content of the MonsterTRAK site is targeted specifically to college students and is a password-protected site. Only students and alumni who have a password from their career center can go further than the homepage. Anyone interested in voting in MonsterTRAK's current online poll may do so by logging onto MonsterTRAK at www.monstertrak.com (http://www.monstertrak.com/). Users may review the results of past polls by going to http://content.monstertrak.monster.com/polls.

About Monster

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 49.1 million unique visits during the month of October 2002 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 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. More information about Monster is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

About TMP Worldwide

Founded in 1967, TMP Worldwide Inc., with approximately 9,000 employees in 33 countries, is the online recruitment leader, the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, and one of the world's largest Executive Search & Executive Selection agencies. TMP Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is also 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. TMP Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 Index. More information about TMP Worldwide is available at www.tmp.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.

(1) According to the Office of Personnel Management, 84 percent of federal government jobs are located outside of metro Washington, D.C. which is defined as Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

CONTACT:

Monster
Kevin Mullins, 978/461-8751
kevin.mullins@monster.com
or
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Alli Ross, 617/520-7086
aross@webershandwick.com