Monster Employment Index Continues to Rise Despite Recent Slowdown in U.S. Economic Growth

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2005--Monster Worldwide, Inc.

April 2005 Index Highlights:

  • Index continues four-month growth trend, edging up to 131
  • Arrival of spring-seasonal jobs played a part in increases across agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
  • High Tech job availability gained further momentum related to growth and adoption of new technologies
  • Scientific Hotspots - Boston and San Diego - lead growth in professional, scientific and technical service jobs, particularly biotechnology
  • Heightened demand seen for construction and maintenance occupations
  • All nine U.S. Census Bureau regions at record high levels

Online job demand and recruitment activity edged slightly higher in April, continuing a steady upward trend for 2005, but at a much more measured pace, according to the latest findings of the Monster Employment Index. Tracking to other recent economic indicators showing slower-than-expected U.S. economic growth, the Index's moderate increase showed overall online job availability remaining strong throughout the country, with all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions at their highest levels for the year - eight of the nine showed an increase during April. The overall Index increased from 130 in March 2005 to 131 in April - marking the Index's highest level to date and a nearly 30-point increase over its April 2004 level of 103. The Index's overall results for the past 13 months are as follows:

Apr. Mar. Feb. Jan. Dec. Nov. Oct. Sept. Aug. Jul. Jun. May Apr. 05 05 05 05 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 131 130 122 120 113 117 114 114 112 107 108 105 103 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

"April marked the fourth consecutive month of growth in 2005 for the Monster Employment Index, continuing what has been a steady upward growth trend in online job availability since the start of the year," said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster. "April's rise was clearly not as pronounced as previous months, however, we are still seeing the strongest levels of job demand since the Index's inception and job availability is more promising for this year's graduating class than it was for the class of 2004."

Agriculture, Entertainment and Construction Industries Show Increased Demand

15 of the 20 industries showing increased online job demand in April were led by agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, which continued a three-month growth trend partly due to seasonality. With most national parks, golf courses and athletic fields opening in mid-April, the Index showed a heightened demand for temporary workers. Other industries showing sharp increases in April included:

  • Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, which continued a three-month period of significant growth as the fast-growing U.S. media industry continues to expand, spurred by the rapid development and introduction of new technologies;
  • Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, which has recently shown strong growth, due in part to the continued emergence of new biotech companies in scientific hotspots such as Boston and San Diego; and
  • Construction, which continued a five-month growth trend that is reflective of improvements in the U.S. commercial and residential construction markets in the first quarter of 2005.

Online Demand for High Tech Workers Continues to Gain Momentum

Online demand for computer and mathematical positions, which include the largest concentration of high tech workers, saw a significant increase during the month of April and continued an upward trend for the year. This is further evidence that despite the proliferation of downsizing among technology companies, new technologies coming onto the market, such as open-source software, wireless devices and next generation chips, are creating job opportunities at both new and established technology companies.

Overall online demand for workers rose in 20 of 23 occupational categories during April, indicating that online job availability continues to increase across a wide range of positions. Occupations registering significant increases during the month included:

  • Food preparation and services, which rose strongly, partially due to the continued strength in the U.S. restaurant industry;
  • Building/grounds cleaning & maintenance, which experienced growth due to seasonal demand - employers continue to prepare for spring and summer needs and homeowners are gearing up for spring and home-improvement season; and
  • Installation, Maintenance, and Repair, which saw strong increases largely due to seasonality. Spring is traditionally when many companies initiate projects they could not complete during the winter,

Online Job Demand Rises Across All U.S. Regions in April

Online job demand for workers rose in eight of nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in April, led by the Mountain region, which registered the greatest month-to-month increase. All regions remained at very high levels when compared year over year. Forty-seven U.S. states, along with the District of Columbia, registered increases during the month, with Vermont, North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota among those seeing the sharpest gains.

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for April 2005, including all charts and tables, please visit http://eIndex.monsterworldwide.com. The first in a series of new Monster Employment Index quarterly reports, which provides an overview of hiring trends for the first three months of 2005, is also available. Data for the month of May 2005 will be released on June 2, 2005.

About the Monster Employment Index

Launched in April 2004 with data collected since October 2003, the Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online job demand conducted by Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), the parent company of the leading global online careers property, Monster(R). Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web sites, including a variety of corporate career sites, job boards and Monster, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. All of the data and findings in the Monster Employment Index have been validated for their accuracy through independent, third party auditing conducted on a monthly basis by ARC Research, a Cranford, New Jersey-based provider of innovative click and brick market research solutions. The audit validates the accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured for the last six months within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. Data for the month of May 2005 will be released on June 2, 2005.

About Monster Worldwide

Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster(R), the leading global online careers property. The company also owns TMP Worldwide, the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and one of the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency networks. Headquartered in New York with approximately 5,000 employees in 26 countries, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com.

Monster is the leading global online careers property. A division of Monster Worldwide, Monster works for everyone by connecting quality job seekers at all levels with leading employers across all industries. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Maynard, Mass., Monster has 25 local language and content sites in 23 countries worldwide. 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.

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SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.