Monster Employment Index UK Remains Flat in September; Online Job Demand Holds Steady in UK, Showing Stability in Online Recruitment Activity Over the Past Ten Months

LONDON, Oct 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities across the United Kingdom remained unchanged from August, according to the Monster Employment Index UK. The Index held steady at 103 points in September, remaining near its highest level for the year, as eight of the nine occupational categories tracked stayed flat or declined.

During the month, the Index measured significantly fewer online job opportunities for craft workers, legislators, senior officials, managers and clerks. Moreover, the service and shop and workers category saw no signs of growth in online recruitment, suggesting that consumer confidence remained low and continued to impact the retail sector. The EU quota on Chinese clothes imports is also likely to have had an effect. Online recruitment activity for professionals, technicians and associate professionals also remained flat in September.

Results for the Monster Employment Index UK over the past ten months are as follows:

Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '04 ----- ---- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ----- 103 103 106 104 103 103 104 102 91 97 ----- ---- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -----

"The flatness in UK online recruitment activity tracked by the Index clearly reflects a period of uncertainty in the UK at the moment," explained Alan Townsend, Managing Director for Monster UK & Ireland. "We saw a dip for the first time in August, effectively ending what had been a general upward trend from the first half of the year. The lack of growth in September is actually consistent with other findings indicating that consumers have stayed away from the high street, amid concerns over the housing market and rising fuel prices," said Townsend.

Plant and Machine Operators Only Occupation to See Increased Online Demand in September

Plant and machine operators was the only occupational category that experienced growth in September, showing a sharp increase in online job opportunities.

Online job availability for professionals within banking and finance declined moderately in September. Online recruitment activity for this occupational category peaked in July suggesting that positions have now been filled.

Demand for professionals within the education, R&D, production and manufacturing sectors also declined. The latter is consistent with manufacturers reducing staff as record oil prices increase costs. Demand for IT professionals rose compared to August, but the growth was not significant enough to impact the broader professionals category. In the hospitality and tourism sector, overall online recruitment activity increased slightly, while demand in the sales and personal care sectors dipped.

Online job offers for craft workers registered the steepest decline, continuing a two-month downward trend. Online recruitment activity also declined slightly for clerks, legislators, senior officials and managers, reflecting the effects of civil service numbers falling over the past year. Many staff that retired or left to take jobs outside Whitehall have not been replaced following 15 months since the Chancellor pledged to slash Whitehall costs.

"Our findings are consistent with other studies showing that there is little prospect of an upturn in hiring by high street retailers in the near future. Consumer demand remains weak but stable, although analysts predict that this slowdown is likely to prompt more interest rate cuts. The recent slowdown could also be partly due to a more modest demand from employers, as main hiring activities have already taken place for the year. It is also worth noting that the UK has shown the most stable pattern compared to all other countries tracked by the Index over the past ten months," said Townsend.

Occupation Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '05 '04 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Legislators, senior officials and managers 99 101 102 104 104 102 102 104 92 95 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Professionals 103 103 106 103 104 103 102 100 90 101 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Technicians and associate professionals 104 104 106 106 103 104 104 102 92 95 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Clerks 101 103 104 103 100 103 106 102 92 96 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Service workers and shop and market sales workers 101 101 104 100 100 101 104 107 93 96 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 103 106 110 100 104 107 100 99 93 97 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Craft and related workers 110 114 116 111 98 104 107 102 96 94 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Plant and machine operators and assemblers 115 110 114 109 95 101 106 106 95 98 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Elementary occupations 101 102 100 103 108 102 102 96 95 97 ------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Online Job Demand Rises in Scotland but Dips Slightly in London

Scotland saw a significant increase in overall online demand, reversing the downward trend from the previous month. This was mainly due to increased demand for professionals, technicians and plant and machine operators. Production, engineering and sales sectors also edged higher in September.

London exhibited a slight drop in online recruitment activity in September. This was largely due to reduced demand for legislators, clerks, service and shop workers, with the latter category's dip reflecting the end of the summer retail sales period. Online offers in the telecommunications, education, science, hospitality and tourism sectors also edged downward. In contrast, London's IT sector showed a slight increase in online job opportunities.

"The Index's findings seem to parallel a recent study showing that the Scottish labour market has outperformed UK employment trends. With Scottish companies remaining firmly in expansion mode, we anticipate that this trend could likely continue," added Townsend.

Monster Employment Index Europe

The Monster Employment Index Europe edged higher in September, rising one point from 109 in August to 110, the Index's highest level since its inception. Online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities increased the most in Sweden and Germany, with Sweden showing the sharpest increase in online job availability during September. Online job availability in Germany rose for the tenth consecutive month, continuing a strong upward growth trend since December of last year, despite increased joblessness and political uncertainty following the recent elections. Demand in the Netherlands remained unchanged in September, while France saw online job availability decline sharply, continuing a two-month downward trend.

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

Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ----- 110 109 109 108 105 104 103 100 94 94 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ----- Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Country 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- France 98 102 110 106 106 104 102 100 94 94 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Germany 116 114 110 109 106 103 102 99 96 93 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Netherlands 108 108 110 107 106 103 103 97 93 97 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- Sweden 98 94 98 104 105 101 103 102 91 97 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- United Kingdom 103 103 106 104 103 103 104 102 91 97 --------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- ---

The Monster Employment Index UK provides a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand in the UK and is compiled by Monster Worldwide, parent company of the world's leading online career property, Monster. 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 U.S. version of the Monster Employment Index was first introduced in April 2004.

Additional information on the Monster Employment Index United Kingdom is available online at http://eIndex.monsterworldwide.com. Visitors can subscribe to receive the monthly UK Index report as well as the broader Monster Employment Index Europe report in English, French, German or Swedish. Monster Employment Index UK data for October will be released on November 8, 2005.

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 4,500 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 the 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 UK

Monster Worldwide UK
Michelle Brown, + 44 (0) 20 7406 5050
michelle.brown@monster.com
or
Weber Shandwick
Geraldine Grewal, + 44 (0) 20 7067 0515
ggrewal@webershandwick.com