Monster Employment Index Europe Declines Sharply in January as Online Job Demand Reflects Seasonal Slowdown in Recruitment Activity

LONDON & NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide (Nasdaq:MNST):

-- Only Sweden Registers Significant Growth in Online Job Availability, Continuing a Five-month Upward Trend

-- Demand for White Collar Workers in the Legal Profession Declines in Most of the Five Countries Tracked by the Index

The Monster Employment Index Europe declined sharply in January 2006, registering a six-point drop and reverting back to the levels recorded in July and August last year, ending the mostly upward growth trend over the fourth quarter of 2005. The Index dropped from an all-time high of 112 in December to 106 in January, the Index's lowest reading since September last year. Sweden was the only country that registered an increase in online job availability during January, with a rise of seven points mostly due to increased opportunities for white-collar workers. The decline of the Index is due mostly to significantly lower online job demand in three of Europe's largest nations, namely Germany, France and the UK.

"To see a decline in the Monster Employment Index Europe in January is not surprising, if we look back at the same time last year, the Index also dipped, although to a lesser extent, indicating that historical seasonal effects are coming into play," said Peter Dolphin, CEO, Monster Worldwide Europe. "The real estate sector saw a slight increase this month in nearly all of the countries. With analysts in Germany forecasting an attractive property market and the UK measuring an increase in mortgage approvals, it is not surprising that the European Central Bank issued a warning of rapid mortgage borrowing and an interest rate increase. It will be interesting to see how this impacts consumer spending and its knock-on effect for online recruitment in retail orientated sectors, in the next few months."

Monster Employment Index Europe results for the past 14 months are as follows:

Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 -------------------------------------------------------- 106 112 111 112 107 106 106 104 100 98 97 93 82 83 --------------------------------------------------------

Online Job Availability Declines in Four of Five Countries

"During January, the Index measured a sharp drop, mainly due to lower online job opportunities in Europe's three largest economies, notably Germany, France and the UK," said Kai Deininger, Head of Marketing Communications, Monster Europe. "Sweden was the only country to register a significant growth marking five months of uninterrupted growth. These findings are consistent with recent remarks from the European Commission president, who commented on Sweden's current strong economic performance, highlighting that increased spending on higher education and research was fundamental to a stable economy."

Monster Employment Index Europe findings for the five countries from December 2004 through January 2006 are as follows:

Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Country 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- France 107 112 110 111 91 99 114 105 106 102 99 96 84 84 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany 106 109 111 112 111 108 104 103 99 96 95 91 87 83 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Netherlands 116 119 113 111 105 105 109 103 102 98 98 88 81 87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden 116 109 101 100 97 86 97 111 114 105 108 107 80 95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- United Kingdom 101 118 108 108 100 102 108 105 102 102 103 100 73 88 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Eight of Nine Occupational Categories Register Declines in January

Online job demand in eight of nine occupational categories tracked by the Index dropped in January, with legislators and senior officials registering the steepest rate of decline, following three months of strong growth. Although Sweden showed significant growth in overall online job availability last month, it was not strong enough to offset the decline reported in the other four countries, especially the UK and Germany.

Overall demand for service, shop and market sales workers also dropped in January, following two months of moderate growth at the end of 2005. The only country showing an increase in the number of online job opportunities in this category was Sweden, while significant declines were observed in all other countries, particularly in the UK and France. According to the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), average real wages have declined in recent years across the majority of EU countries, shrinking consumer spending power. This is having a knock-on effect in the retail sector in terms of the fairly stagnant recruitment activity.

Online job availability for professionals also fell in four of the five countries in January, with the exception of Sweden where it remained flat. The most significant was measured in the UK and France.

The number of online offers for clerks also fell during the month, largely due to a significant decline in the UK. Despite a sharp upturn registered in Sweden and a more moderate increase in the Netherlands, this was not sufficient enough to compensate for the 13 point drop in the UK.

Demand for technicians also declined sharply in January, falling five points after holding mostly steady over the last quarter of 2005. Online recruitment activity for elementary occupations continued a six-month downward trend, edging down two points during the month. The Index also showed fewer opportunities for plant and machine workers, following strong growth in December. Online job availability for craft and related workers fell for the third consecutive month.

Meanwhile, skilled agricultural and fishery workers was the only category to register a moderate growth in the number of online offers this month, with increases measured in Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, whilst the UK and France registered lower demand.

In terms of industry sectors, online demand for white collar workers in the legal sector declined in January, following a strong rise in December. Opportunities in the hospitality and tourism; and healthcare sectors also fell overall, despite higher demand in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

In contrast, overall online job demand in the automotive sector rose, with opportunities for workers rising moderately in Sweden and the UK. The consultancy and real estate sectors also saw a slight increase in online job availability in January. In the latter sector, the volume of online vacancies increased in nearly all the countries, with the exception of France.

Monster Employment Index Europe findings across occupational categories from January 2005 through January 2006 are as follows:

Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug July Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Occupation 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislators, senior officials and managers 105 119 110 111 96 102 103 105 105 101 102 105 78 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Professionals 108 115 111 111 108 107 106 102 102 98 97 93 81 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Technicians and associate professionals 107 112 112 113 106 104 105 104 102 99 97 93 82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clerks 107 115 113 114 107 104 103 102 100 97 101 95 82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Service workers and shop and market sales workers 90 103 100 99 99 99 110 113 109 106 105 98 82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 89 88 91 93 95 96 107 110 112 112 107 104 92 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Craft and related workers 103 107 110 113 113 110 106 102 95 93 92 90 88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Plant and machine operators and assemblers 104 109 104 111 110 105 110 106 100 97 98 96 80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Elementary occupations 102 104 108 109 109 111 111 110 93 92 91 89 89 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monster Employment Index France Declines Sharply in January, Ending a Three-month Growth Trend

During the past month, online recruitment activity across France declined sharply, as demand fell for workers across a range of occupations and industry sectors. The Index dropped five points from 112 in December to 107 in January. The sharpest declines were observed for elementary workers and service, shop and market sales workers, with both occupational categories reverting back to the levels recorded at the inception of the Index in December 2004. Industry sectors that experienced the most significant rates of decline include hospitality and tourism; science; production; administration and legal. Online recruitment activity in the healthcare; sales, marketing and PR sectors also fell, but to a lesser degree. Online Job Demand in Germany Declines in January, Continuing Three-month Downward Trend

Online job availability across Germany declined in January, with the Index showing fewer opportunities for workers for the third consecutive month. The Index dipped from 109 in December to 106 in January, continuing a downward trend first observed in November 2005. In January, nearly all of the occupational categories tracked by the Index in Germany declined, with the exception of skilled agriculture and fishery workers, which registered a moderate increase of two points. This was the first increase in online job availability in the category since April 2005, possibly reflecting a seasonal pickup in recruitment across the agricultural industry.

Demand for service, shop and market sales workers fell by four points, driven by lower demand within the hospitality and tourism sector. Opportunities for craft workers also fell by four points, due in most part to lower recruitment activity in the production and manufacturing sector. The slight growth in the automotive sector reversed a three-month downward trend, while the real estate sector in Germany appears to be picking up as house prices increased and online job availability continued to grow for the second consecutive month. Monster Employment Index Netherlands Dips in January, as Seasonal Slowdown Ends Five-month Growth Trend

During January, online recruitment activity across the Netherlands dipped, ending a five-month upward growth trend observed since October 2005. The Index showed fewer online opportunities for workers across all regions, with a notable decline in the service, shop and market sales workers category. This was mainly due to fewer offers in the sales, marketing and PR sector, which influenced most of the occupational categories in January. The most notable decreases were observed in the sales, marketing and PR; public services, administration; science; and accounting and audit sectors. In contrast, a number of industry sectors demonstrated growth in online job demand during the month, including agriculture; fishing and forestry; environment; architecture; transport and logistics; real estate; and personal care. Online Recruitment Activity in Sweden Soars to All-time High, Extending Five Consecutive Months of Growth

Online recruitment activity across Sweden jumped to a record high in January, marking five consecutive months of growth. The overall rise in online job availability was driven by a surge in demand for legislators, senior officials and managers; elementary workers; and technicians and associate professionals. Nearly all occupational categories with the exception of professionals - which remained flat - demonstrated strong growth in online demand during January. The industry sectors in which online opportunities grew most include engineering; production; manufacturing; maintenance and repair; and sales, marketing and PR. Online hiring activity in the IT sector registered a sixth consecutive month of growth, and the automotive sector also saw a significant increase in online demand following a sharp drop in December 2005. Monster Employment Index UK Falls Sharply in January, Mirroring Similar Drop A Year Ago

Online job demand across the United Kingdom dropped sharply in January, registering its biggest monthly decline since the inception of the Index. The Index fell 17 points from a level of 118 in December to 101 in January. However, year-on-year the Index has risen 28 points, indicating higher online job demand for workers across the range of industries during 2005. Last months figures echo previous year's findings, which also showed a seasonal slowdown over the same period. All nine occupational categories tracked by the Index registered declined of varying degrees. Demand for sales, service, shop and market sales workers saw the steepest rate of decline, falling 26 points, largely due to a significant drop in offers in hospitality and tourism. This trend is consistent with the end of the Christmas period and the conclusion of temporary work contracts following the December spurt in holiday spending. Meanwhile, online job opportunities for professionals in January also fell significantly, back to the Index's September 2005 level. Fewer offers within the legal, telecommunications, engineering, sales, accounting, banking, healthcare, HR, and consulting sectors largely contributed to the decline.

About the Monster Employment Index Europe

Launched in June 2005 with data collected since December 2004, the Monster Employment Index Europe is compiled by Monster Worldwide, parent company of leading global online careers and recruitment resource, Monster(R). The Index was established to provide European labour market watchers with a valuable monthly snapshot of online recruitment activity based on the researching of millions of employer postings across more than 1,400 Web sites. In addition to providing an analysis of European online job demand, the Index offers a sub-index by occupation, including data on nine occupational categories in five countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The Index is independently audited by ARC Research, a U.S.-based market research company, to ensure the accuracy of the data within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. The Monster Employment Index debuted in the U.S. in April 2004.

Additional information on the Monster Employment Index Europe is available online at http://euindex.monsterworldwide.com. Visitors can subscribe to receive the European Index report, as well as any or all of the five country-specific Index reports on a monthly basis via email. Monster Employment Index Europe data for February will be released on March 14, 2006.

More information about Monster in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom can be found, respectively, at:

-- www.monster.fr

-- www.monster.de

-- www.monsterboard.nl

-- www.monster.se

-- www.monster.co.uk

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 Commissio803n, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

Monster Worldwide, Inc. Europe: Kai Deininger, +49 172 679 1900 kai.deininger@monster.com or United States: David Rosa, (212) 351-7067 david.rosa@monsterworldwide.com