Monster Employment Index Dips Slightly in December, Closing Out Year of Strong, Stepwise Growth in 2004

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2005--Monster Worldwide, Inc.

  • Modest Decline Likely Related to Similar Seasonal Slowdown Experienced in December 2003
  • Manufacturing, Transportation & Warehousing, and Wholesale Trade Among Industries Showing Strong Increases in Online Job Demand in December
  • Nearly All Industries, Occupations and Regions Remain Up Year-Over-Year

The Monster Employment Index dipped slightly in December, yet closed 2004 with strong measured, upward growth in both online job demand and online job recruitment activity across the United States throughout the past 12 months. The overall Index eased back from a record level of 117 in November to 113 in December, but came in much higher compared to its December 2003 level of 85.

The Index's slight decline is most likely attributed to the same seasonal slowdown in hiring that caused the Index to dip in December of 2003. However, nearly all industries, occupations and regions tracked by the Index remain up year over year, demonstrating true labor market growth over the past 12 months.

The Monster Employment Index's overall results for the 12 months of 2004, and December 2003, are as follows:

Dec. Nov. Oct. Sept. Aug. Jul. Jun. May Apr. Mar. Feb. Jan. Dec. 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 04 03 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 113 117 114 114 112 107 108 105 103 97 95 93 85 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Transportation & warehousing, manufacturing and wholesale trade all saw the greatest increases during the month of December. The sharp rise in manufacturing suggests an increased demand for engineers and designers, while the even stronger rise in transportation reflects increased seasonal demand for support positions such as package handlers, mechanics and unskilled labor. Construction saw a marked increase in online job demand, with greater job availability for construction support jobs in the areas of sales, finance, engineers, technicians and designers. Possibly reflecting increased merger and acquisition activity, a return to confidence in the economy and the ongoing accommodation to new accounting and corporate governance requirements, finance & insurance also edged higher in December, continuing a strong overall track record of growth in 2004.

While 8 out of the 20 industries tracked by the Index saw varying degrees of declines in online job demand during December, 19 of the 20 industries still remained at higher levels year over year. Utilities; management of companies & enterprises; public administration; and professional, scientific & technical services experienced the biggest declines in December. Reflecting the winding down of the holiday shopping season, retail trade also dipped slightly, returning to its September level. Three industries, including healthcare & social assistance and accommodation & food services, remained essentially flat.

"December's slight decline in the Monster Employment Index is in line with what we saw last December, so we are not surprised by this data which most likely reflects seasonality and the brief slowdown in hiring commonly associated with the year-end holiday season," said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster.

"More broadly speaking, the Monster Employment Index's 2004 findings showed significant overall growth in U.S. online job demand over the course of the year, demonstrating a vast improvement over 2003. The Index measured sharp year over year growth across nearly all industries, occupations and regions," continued Taylor. "Next month's Index's findings for January 2005 should prove to be very telling in determining whether the solid labor market momentum experienced in 2004 will continue into the new year."

Online demand for workers decreased in 19 out of 23 occupational categories in the month of December. Online demand for military specific and building & grounds maintenance occupations experienced the sharpest decline in December, followed by construction; food preparation & serving; and installation, maintenance & repair. Once again, seasonality is a likely factor behind the declines, with the dip in building & grounds maintenance indicating that organizations have finished preparing for winter maintenance demands. Management; healthcare practitioners & technical; computer & mathematical; architecture & engineering; and protective service all remained essentially flat for the month.

Conversely, online job demand for sales & related occupations edged higher in December suggesting that companies are still taking steps indicative of operational expansion in 2005. Online demand for business & financial operations positions, such as accountants, also rose slightly, continuing a 12-month sequential growth trend that is likely to continue through the upcoming 2005 tax season.

Online Job Demand Declines Slightly in All U.S. Regions in December

Online job demand for workers declined slightly in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in December. Nevertheless, every region remained at very high levels when compared year over year, and no single region stood out over others as experiencing any particularly sharp decline.

Thirty-eight U.S. states either remained unchanged or saw decreases during the month of December. States that saw the biggest month-to-month declines included Colorado and Alaska. The District of Columbia also declined sharply. States that experienced increases of varying degrees during the month included Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan and Wyoming. The District of Columbia and all 50 states, except New Hampshire and Alaska, are up sharply compared year over year.

Based on online job demand in relation to total working population, the Monster Employment Index found the following states to be the top ten in terms of online job availability during the month of December:

1. Arizona

2. District of Columbia

3. Delaware

4. Maryland

5. California

6. Massachusetts

7. Florida

8. Connecticut

9. Virginia

10. New Jersey

California continued to offer the most online job availability of any state during the month of December based on sheer quantity alone.

Top Five Industries Looking for Employees in December

Industries showing the greatest rate of increase in job availability in December included:

Industries Dec. 04 Nov. 04 Oct. 04 Sept. 04 Aug. 04 Dec. 03 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Transportation & Warehousing 114 105 106 111 115 86 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Manufacturing 123 116 116 114 116 88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wholesale Trade 125 120 118 111 113 90 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Construction 117 113 113 107 111 72 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mining 121 119 118 119 113 84 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Most Wanted Occupational Experience

Occupational categories showing the largest rate of increase or remaining relatively flat in online job demand in December included:

Occupations Dec. 04 Nov. 04 Oct. 04 Sept. 04 Aug. 04 Dec. 03 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media 112 109 107 108 108 88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sales & Related 110 108 108 112 110 80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Business & Financial Operations 122 121 118 116 110 84 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer & Mathematical 114 114 120 118 112 91 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Healthcare Practitioners & Technical 112 112 107 107 104 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Online Job Demand Declines Slightly Across All U.S. Regions in December

All of the following U.S. Census Bureau regions saw slight declines in online job demand in December:

U.S. Census Bureau Dec. 04 Nov. 04 Oct. 04 Sept. 04 Aug. 04 Dec. 03 Regions ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New England 114 116 114 115 113 87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mid-Atlantic 113 115 113 117 112 84 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- West North Central 114 116 115 117 114 83 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- East South Central 112 114 112 113 111 83 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mountain 114 116 115 117 113 87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- West South Central 117 118 113 117 111 88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic 116 117 114 114 112 85 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pacific 115 116 114 116 111 85 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- East North Central 114 115 114 116 112 84 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monster Employment Index 2004 Year in Review

Overall, 2004 was a year marked by consistent monthly increases in U.S. online job demand, suggesting true labor market growth across the country and indicating a significantly improved labor market compared to 2003. The Monster Employment Index rose a total of 26 points over the course of 2004, registering increases in U.S. online job demand in 10 out of the past 12 months.

Construction finished 2004 as the industry experiencing the strongest overall growth in online job availability over the course of the year, followed by mining and manufacturing. In terms of occupations, online demand for business & financial positions registered the biggest overall increase in 2004, rising a total of 38 points during a 12-month sequential growth trend. Management positions followed closely, with a total increase of 33 points. Meanwhile, the healthcare occupation offered the largest amount of opportunity to online job seekers during 2004.

The West North Central and South Atlantic regions of the U.S. saw the greatest increase in online job demand during the year, with both rising a total of 31 points between December 2003 and December 2004. On a state level, Wyoming registered the biggest overall year-over-year gain in online job availability in 2004, followed closely by Missouri and Delaware.

About the Monster Employment Index

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. 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 job positions. The Monster Employment Index reports results on a monthly basis.

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%.

Additional information on the Monster Employment Index, including all charts and tables, is available online at http://eIndex.monsterworldwide.com. Data for the month of January 2005 will be released on February 3, 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. TMP Worldwide is also a provider of direct marketing services. 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.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, 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.

CONTACT: Monster Worldwide, Inc.
General Information:
David Rosa, 212-351-7067
david.rosa@monsterworldwide.com
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SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.