Majority of U.S. Metro Markets Show Modest Seasonal Slowdown in Online Job Demand in December, According to the Monster Local Employment Index

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2006--Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNST):

-- Online Job Availability for Production; Sales; and Construction Workers Declines across Most Markets as Manufacturing Struggles, and Winter Season Begins -- Only Miami Shows Higher Demand for Workers in December, While Detroit and Denver Register Sharpest Drop-off in Online Job Opportunities

Reflecting a year-end seasonal slowdown in recruitment activity, overall online job demand declined in 21 of the top 28 U.S. metropolitan areas in December, according to the latest findings of the Monster Local Employment Index.

The majority of markets tracked by the Index saw a moderate dip of one-to-three points during the past month, yet ended the year at higher levels than at the inception of the Index in May. Six markets - Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Portland and San Francisco - defied the general end-of-year slowdown and remained unchanged from their elevated levels in November, demonstrating continued strength in local online recruitment. The Detroit and Denver metro areas registered the greatest rate of decline during the month, plunging six and five points respectively, while Miami was the only market that saw online job availability rise in December, edging up two points.

Production; sales; and construction-related occupations all saw a broad slowdown in online recruitment across markets as the manufacturing sector continued to struggle and winter weather set in throughout much of the country. Demand for installation, maintenance and repair also fell in most markets, except in Miami, which saw a sharp rise in online opportunities, likely spurred by continued reconstruction and repair efforts following Hurricane Wilma.

Fifteen markets showed fewer online opportunities for workers in production occupations in December. In addition to a seasonal slump in active recruiting, hardship in the labor-intensive automotive industry has contributed to weaker demand for manufacturing workers, illustrated by the sharp drop in the Detroit Index.

Demand for workers in construction and extraction also declined in 18 local markets. Whereas most metro areas have seen relatively moderate growth in online recruitment demand for construction-related jobs, San Diego, which surged another two points in December, has skyrocketed, suggesting that the housing boom is still creating job opportunities in southern California.

In contrast, online job availability for workers in education, training and library occupations rose in 18 markets, likely due in part to academic institutions' efforts to fill spring-semester openings for teachers, librarians and other staff. San Diego, Indianapolis and Dallas saw the largest rate of growth for this category, while only Detroit retracted significantly. Online demand for workers in protective service also increased in a majority of the markets tracked.

"The December findings of the Monster Local Employment Index show the same moderate seasonal slowdown in online hiring as the national Index findings released earlier this month," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "After registering sharp gains in October and November, online job availability in most major cities eased back last month, as business activity wound down around the year-end holidays. Nevertheless, most metro markets ended 2005 with higher levels of online demand compared to the summer, suggesting steadily improving local hiring climates in the country's largest metropolitan areas. In fact, only Cleveland has failed to exhibit any growth in online job availability since the Index's inception in May of last year."

According to the Index, Phoenix remains the fastest-growing metro area in terms of online job demand over the past eight months, having added 11 points since June. San Diego (up nine points since May) and Seattle (up eight points since May) have also shown strong growth in online job availability during the second half of 2005. All three markets have seen noticeably higher demand for IT and engineering professionals.

Overall results for the top 28 U.S. metro markets over the past eight months are as follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Market DEC 05 NOV 05 OCT 05 SEPT 05 AUG 05 JUL 05 JUN 05 MAY 05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta 104 105 106 104 103 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Baltimore 105 107 105 103 101 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston 103 104 105 104 101 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago 102 104 104 102 100 99 99 101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cincinnati 103 106 106 106 104 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland 99 101 101 103 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dallas 104 104 103 100 100 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Denver 103 108 107 106 104 101 102 98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit 102 108 108 107 103 104 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston 105 105 102 100 100 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Indianapolis 104 104 104 101 100 98 99 101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kansas City 101 103 103 102 101 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles 104 107 105 103 102 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami 103 101 103 103 101 98 102 98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minneapolis 106 109 108 107 106 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New York City 102 104 103 102 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando 98 100 98 100 100 99 104 96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Philadelphia 104 104 104 102 101 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix 111 112 109 106 104 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh 104 107 106 104 103 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Portland 106 106 107 104 103 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sacramento 103 105 104 101 101 99 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Diego 108 109 108 106 104 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco 105 105 105 103 102 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle 107 108 108 107 106 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Louis 102 104 104 102 101 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 104 105 105 102 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington, D.C. 102 104 105 103 102 102 101 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

The January results of the Monster Local Employment Index will be released on February 23, 2006.

About the Monster Local Employment Index

Providing a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand in the top 28 U.S. metro markets, the Monster Local Employment Index is an extension of the national Monster Employment Index, which is compiled each month by researchers at Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), parent company of the leading global online career and recruitment resource, Monster(R). Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web sites, including Monster(R), the Monster Local Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity in the top 28 U.S. markets with the largest working populations.

The Index counts job postings as an indicator of employer demand for employees or, in other words, job availability. Job postings are online advertisements placed by an employer looking to fill one or more vacant, or recently created, job positions. All of the data and findings have been validated for accuracy through independent, monthly third party auditing conducted by ARC Research of Cranford, New Jersey. Individual Index reports containing data for each of the 28 metro markets, as well as additional information on occupational demand in each area, are now available at http://LocaleIndex.monsterworldwide.com.

About Monster Worldwide

Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. The company also owns TMP Worldwide, one of the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency networks. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,800 employees in 26 countries, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ-100 Index. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com.

About Monster

Monster(R) is the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. A division of Monster Worldwide, Monster was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, USA. Monster has 26 local language and content sites in 24 countries worldwide. Monster is known for connecting quality job seekers at all levels with leading employers across all industries and offers employers innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. More information is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://recruiter.monster.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 Monster Worldwide, Inc.'s strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of Monster Worldwide's 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 Monster Worldwide operates, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in Monster Worldwide's Form 10-K and other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

CONTACT: Monster Worldwide, Inc. General Information: David Rosa, 212-351-7067 david.rosa@monsterworldwide.com or Media Inquiries: Lauren McDonald, 617-520-7116 lmcdonald@webershandwick.com or Weber Shandwick Christian Harper, 212-445-8135 charper@webershandwick.com SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.