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Monster Employment Index Europe Remains Flat in August 2005, Indicating Effects of Summer Holiday Period in Europe
LONDON & NEW YORK, Sep 13, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNST): The Monster Employment Index Europe remained flat in August, as online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities declined in four of the five European countries tracked by the Index during the month. Measuring online job demand in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the Index registered lower levels of online job availability in all the countries except Germany. As a result of these mixed findings, the Index remained unchanged overall in August at 109 points, ending an upward growth trend since January 2005. The Monster Employment Index Europe is a monthly research analysis of millions of online job opportunities culled from more than 1,400 Web sites, including Monster(R).
"The August findings of the Monster Employment Index Europe are consistent with the effects of the European summer holiday period when business activity sees a noticeable drop-off," said Peter Dolphin, CEO, Monster Worldwide Europe. "Four of the five countries tracked by the Index saw a decline in online job availability, with the exception of Germany. In fact, online job opportunities in Germany have almost doubled since the inception of the Index in December 2004, suggesting positive signs for the German economy in the run up to the election. France on the other hand registered the steepest decline in online job availability, reflecting the troubled business climate in the country. As the French national press has recently reported, morale appears to be low in France partly as a result of high unemployment, a weak economic outlook and rising petrol prices."
Monster Employment Index Europe results for the past nine months are as follows:
Aug 05 Jul 05 Jun 05 May 05 Apr 05 Mar 05 Feb 05 Jan 05 Dec 04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 109 109 108 105 104 103 100 94 94 ----------------------------------------------------------------------Upward Growth Trend in European Online Job Availability Halts in August 2005
"It was interesting to note from the August results, that the strong increase in German online job opportunities was significant enough to keep the weighted average for the five countries unchanged compared to July, despite the sharp drop experienced by France, and declines in all the other countries. This could be a sign that Germany is optimistically gearing up for the general election in September," said Kai Deininger, Head of Marketing Communications, Monster Europe.
Germany registered a solid growth of four points and ensured the Index maintained its July level, while France registered the steepest drop of eight points. Online job availability in Sweden saw a decline of four points while the UK fell three points and the Netherlands dipped two points.
Monster Employment Index Europe findings from December 2004 through August 2005 are as follows:
Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Country 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- France 102 110 106 106 104 102 100 94 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Germany 114 110 109 106 103 102 99 96 93 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Netherlands 108 110 107 106 103 103 97 93 97 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Sweden 94 98 104 105 101 103 102 91 97 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- United Kingdom 103 106 104 103 103 104 102 91 97 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- ---Online Job Opportunities Down Across Many Occupational Categories
During the month of August, craft workers were the only occupational category tracked by the Index to exhibit strong growth in online demand. The most significant growth in this sector was experienced in Germany, particularly in the construction and renovation sectors and in the production sector, specifically within the metal and electronics industry. Professionals and clerks saw a slight increase in online job demand.
Across Europe, plant and machine operators and agricultural and fishery workers saw a decline in online job availability. Service and shop workers also saw a decline in online job availability in all five countries, with France and the Netherlands registering the steepest fall resulting from lower online job demand in the hospitality and tourism sector.
In July 2005, demand for banking and finance professionals drove online recruitment activity in France, Germany and the UK. In August, only Germany continued to see a growth in this sector, while the UK and France registered a significant decline, reversing the growth trend seen in July.
Online job opportunities for all occupations within the public sector decreased in all the countries tracked by the Index apart from Germany. In the UK, Sweden and France, there were considerably less online offers in education and training, while in Germany these sectors saw the strongest growth in August 2005.
During the past month, only three occupational categories out of the nine tracked by the Monster Employment Index Europe exhibited an increase. These included professionals, clerks and craft and related workers:
Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Occupation 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Legislators, senior officials and managers 104 104 104 104 102 103 104 93 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Professionals 109 108 106 106 103 103 100 94 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Technicians and associate professionals 107 107 107 106 104 103 100 94 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Clerks 107 106 105 105 102 104 101 94 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Service workers and shop and market sales workers 101 105 106 105 104 103 100 94 94 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 98 102 104 104 104 102 101 96 92 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Craft and related workers 118 114 110 107 104 102 98 94 96 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Plant and machine operators and assemblers 107 111 108 104 103 104 102 93 95 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Elementary occupations 112 112 111 107 105 101 97 95 95 -------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- ---German Online Job Demand Peaks in August
Germany continued a very strong, steady growth pattern in online recruitment activity in August, making it the only country to experience a month-to-month increase in online job demand every month since the inception of the Index in December 2004. The most significant increases in online demand were seen for senior managers, clerks and craft workers. White collar workers were most in demand, especially legislators, senior officials and managers, while banking and finance professionals continued to see a growth in online opportunities. For the first time since the inception of the Index, there was a significant rise in online demand for professionals in the automotive sector. The Index's August findings indicate that the outlook in Germany remains positive, despite the high unemployment rate of 11.6 and a fall in German business confidence registered by the German Institute for Economic Research (IFO) in August.
Online Recruitment Activity in France Experiences Significant Decline
France saw the steepest decline in online recruitment activity in August since the inception of the Index in December 2004, bringing it back to its March 2005 level. All the occupational categories tracked by the Index demonstrated a drop in online job postings, with the exception of elementary workers, which nudged up one point. The most significant decline in online job opportunities was experienced by technicians, skilled agriculture and fishery workers, service and shop workers and plant and machine operators. The decline in online recruitment activity in France was due in part to the summer holiday period when broad business activities are at a minimum during August. According to the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), the French economy fared worse than expected in the second quarter of 2005, growing just 0.1 percent against a prediction of 0.3 percent.
Netherlands Online Job Demand Dips in August
The Netherlands experienced a dip in online recruitment activity during August, however the volume of offers still remained above the level recorded in June 2005. Online job demand dropped for all the categories tracked by the Index, with the most significant decline registered for craft workers. Demand for service and shop workers also declined sharply, mostly due to the decrease in online hiring from the hospitality and tourism sector. The decrease in demand for professionals was mostly seen in the accounting and audit, HR, IT, healthcare and sales sectors. Professionals in the telecommunications industry saw an increase in online offers, but not enough to halt the overall negative growth for this category. In July 2005, the International Monetary Fund slashed its economic growth forecasts for the Netherlands to 0.5 percent for 2005 against a growth prediction of 1.5 percent.
U.K. Online Job Demand Declines
Online job demand in the United Kingdom declined by three points in August, with all nine occupational categories registering a drop. There was a strong decline in online demand for professionals this month, with the number of offers within the banking and finance and insurance sector falling sharply, reversing the growth trend visible in previous months. The highest decline in online job availability was registered in London and Scotland. Service and shop workers saw a drop in online job demand, suggesting the impact of poor retail trading conditions and the housing market slowdown. The British Chambers of Commerce cut its economic growth forecast from 2.4 percent predicted in May to two percent in August.
Online Recruitment Activity in Sweden Continues Downward Trend
The Monster Employment Index Sweden continued a downward trend in August, falling by four points. The steepest declines in online demand were observed by workers in the public services, and science sectors. The only sector exhibiting growth in online job demand in August 2005 was in IT, continuing the upward trend registered in previous months. Professional occupations continued their downward trend for the second consecutive month. The decline in online activity indicates the continued effect of the summer holiday period in Sweden. Despite this, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's Central Bank) remains positive, forecasting that employment will increase by more than two per cent from now till the end of 2007.
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 labor 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://eIndex.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 September will be released on October 11, 2005.
More information about Monster in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom can be found, respectively, at:
About Monster Worldwide
Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster(R), a 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 4,500 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(R) is a leading global online careers and recruitment resource. Monster was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, USA. Monster has 25 local language and content sites in 23 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.
SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.
Monster
Europe:
Kai Deininger, +49 172 679 1900
kai.deininger@monster.com
or
United States:
David Rosa, (212) 351-7067
david.rosa@monsterworldwide.com
