Monster Employment Index Rises, Year-Over-Year Growth Rate Now 14 %

NEW YORK, Jun 03, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --The Monster Employment Index rose by 1 pointin May as a number of industries continued to step-up their online recruitment efforts. The annual growth rate during May was 14 percent (16 points), the highest year-over-year growth rate since April 2007, indicating the demand for labor is strengthening.

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job demand based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of corporate career Web sites and job boards, including Monster.com(R).

During May, online job availability rose in 12 of the Index's 20 industry sectors and in 13 of the 23 occupational categories monitored. Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:

"The sustained expansion of job opportunities, especially in some large industries is encouraging," said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. "While some of this increase can be attributed to seasonality, the notable improvement in annual growth rate is the highest since April 2007 and reflects a better job market heading into the summer months compared to this time last year."

Online Demand in Healthcare and Social Assistance Registers Largest Increases in May; Management; and Accommodation Edge Down

Online demand rose in 12 and remained flat in 4 of the 20 industries monitored by the Index. Healthcare and social assistance saw the strongest increase in online job availability, edging to its highest level since the mid-2008 period, most likely due to recruitment efforts geared toward students graduating from nursing as well as various healthcare technician and support programs. Arts, entertainment and recreation also edged up in May, continuing its six-month gradual expansion in online job opportunities. However current demand levels are only marginally higher than year-earlier levels suggesting consumer spending trends in this segment might not be strong enough to support broad increases in job creation. Meanwhile, manufacturing held steady while demand for transportation and warehousing workers grew for the fourth consecutive month. This recent relative improvement in both industries, and related occupations, coincides with heightened measures of production and commerce activity.

In contrast, real estate; accommodation and food services; management and agriculture edged down in May.

On an annual basis, mining; as well as utilities led all industries. Construction also continued its upward trend closely followed by transportation and retail trade.

Healthcare Occupations Register Largest Gains in May; Management and Architecture Decline

Overall online demand for workers rose in 13 of 23 occupational categories in May, with healthcare practitioners and technical registering the largest gain on a month-over-month basis as reflected by the rise in online recruitment efforts for the healthcare industry as a whole. Apart from the healthcare related occupations, increased demand for white collar workers was generally limited to business and financial operations; and legal occupations. Online job demand for protective service and community and social service occupations also continued to edge up in May.

Meanwhile, management; architecture; computer and mathematical; all edged down in May.

Arts and design continued to lead all occupational categories in terms of year-over-year growth with a 25 percent annual rise in opportunities closely followed by transportation and warehousing which also continued its uptrend. Legal; and business and financial occupations also reported more online job offerings than a year ago.

Online Job Availability Rises in Six of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in May

During May, demand rose in six U.S. Census Bureau regions with Mountain registering the largest gain. On an annual basis, Middle Atlantic exhibited the most improvement. West North Central registered the most sluggish expansion in demand among all divisions, however still positive at 8 percent.

Among the 50 states and the District, 33 registered increased online job opportunities in May, with notably large gains in West region states like New Mexico, Washington, and Montana. On a year-over-year basis, Washington was one of the most rapidly growing states and currently has one of the highest per capita online job availability rates among all states. Other large states like New York and Pennsylvania also continued to exhibit robust annual growth in the Index. Meanwhile, District of Columbia, Mississippi, and South Dakota recorded negative annual growth.

Fifteen of The 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Monitored By The Index Register Increases in May

During May, online recruitment activity rose in 15 major metropolitan markets, with Orlando registering the largest monthly gain. Although current levels of online job demand in this market remain well below the 2005 and 2006 periods, activity has nonetheless improved consistently over the past year. Demand remains thin but has improved over the year for blue-collar occupations like construction. Despite monthly declines, demand has been upbeat for occupations in primarily publicly-funded sectors including education, training, and library; and community and social services.

In contrast, Baltimore logged the largest monthly decline where online job availability declined following a steady 3-month rise. The largest declines in May were mainly for white-collar occupations, with the exception of computer and mathematical, which saw demand rise to a six month high.

Year-over-year, all 28 markets reported positive growth. Portland continued to exhibit the most substantial gains in online demand on an annual basis, while Cincinnati registered the most acceleration in annual growth rate, from 10 percent in April to 23 percent in May. In contrast, San Diego and Baltimore registered the most sluggish annual growth rate.

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for May 2010, and to access current individual data charts for each of the 28 metro markets tracked, please visit http://about-monster.com/employment-index. Data for the month of June 2010 will be released on July 1, 2010.

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. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of corporate career sites and job boards, including 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 periodically by Research America, Inc. The audit validates the accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster(R), the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to bring people together to advance their lives. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 Index. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-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.

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