Monster Employment Index UK Surges in February, Mirroring Similar Jump a Year Ago

LONDON, Mar 14, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide (Nasdaq:MNST):

-- Demand for Craft and Related Workers Increases Dramatically, as More Building and Related Trades Workers are Needed in the UK

-- Online Opportunities for Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers Surges, Providing an Encouraging Sign of Improvement in the Manufacturing Industry

Online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities across the United Kingdom rose sharply in February 2006, as the Monster Employment Index UK registered its biggest upward surge since its inception over a year ago. The Index jumped to an all-time high, rising 27 points from a level of 101 in January to 128 in February. February's figures echo last years' Index findings from the same month which also revealed significant growth. Year-on-year the Index has risen 28 points, indicating sharply increased online job demand for workers across a range of industries over the period.

During February, all nine occupational categories tracked by the Index registered marked growth. The most dramatic increase was evident in the craft and related workers occupational category which rose 33 points, climbing at its highest pace to date suggesting increased hiring activity in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games, particularly in the construction industry.

Meanwhile, online job opportunities for professionals in February also grew rapidly, rising 32 points, to its highest level ever. This mirrors a similar trend that occurred last year when online demand for professionals rose from 72 points in January 2005 to 98 points in February 2005 - a growth of 26 points. The Index points to a very healthy development during the past year for overall recruitment within the category, with an annual growth for professionals of 33 points.

Monster Employment Index UK results over the past 14 months are as follows:

Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 06 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 128 101 118 108 108 100 102 108 105 102 102 103 100 73 ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

"Online job availability in the UK rose sharply in February, after the slump in January 2006. This is very positive for UK employment overall as demand for workers has clearly increased across the entire range of occupational categories and sectors tracked by the Monster Employment Index UK," said Alan Townsend, COO for Monster UK & Ireland.

"Craft and related workers, such as building trades workers, are very much in demand at the moment," Townsend continues. "This is despite recent findings from The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply which show that the UK construction sector slumped to its lowest reading in over four years. However, employment in the industry is increasing as projects within the commercial sector come to fruition. Companies are taking on extra staff to tackle existing orders and the overall outlook for organisations within this sector is optimistic. Construction work for the 2012 Olympic Games is contributing to growing demand within this occupational group. Professionals and retail workers are also benefiting from a very strong level of online opportunities. Company expectations and profits are higher than even a few months ago and the labour market appears to be gaining strength."

Online Job Availability Jumps Higher Across All Nine Occupational Categories, Reflecting Strong Demand for Workers in the UK

During February, online opportunities for craft and related workers, such as those in the building trades, saw the largest rate of increase out of all the occupational groups tracked by the Index. Rapid growth in the construction and extraction, and production sectors had the greatest influence in February, as construction companies prepare for a growing number of commercial sector projects. Year-on-year growth for craft and related workers is up 54 points, indicating a healthy year for recruitment overall within the category.

Online job availability for professionals also saw a major increase in February. Offers within legal, banking, finance and insurance and telecoms grew significantly, lifting the category to its highest level since the inception of the Index. Rapid increases were also observed in education, arts, sales and accounting. The most moderate growth, although still marked, was observed for IT professionals.

Service, shop and market sales workers registered strong growth, jumping 23 points. Online offers within this occupational group fluctuated noticeably in 2005. However, the growth in February was not sufficient to eclipse the category's peak in December 2005. Demand for service workers in transport and sales drove the lion's share of growth in this occupational group.

Interestingly, demand for plant and machine operators and assemblers rose 10 points in February, finishing slightly above its December 2005 level. Job postings within the production and construction sectors are responsible for much of the growth. The Index data mirrors recent statistics from the CBI which shows that the UK manufacturing sector is showing some fledgling signs of recovery with factories reporting their highest order book levels in 11 months.

"Although the UK manufacturing industry has been plagued with difficulties, such as closures of plants and significant job losses, there are signs that we may be heading into a recovery. Manufacturing orders were at their best for nearly a year according to the CBI. More manufacturing firms are expecting to increase output and raise prices, although high energy costs may still squeeze profit margins. Overall, it's an encouraging sign of improvement," added Townsend.

Occupations Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 06 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislators, senior officials and managers 125 104 120 107 109 94 100 101 107 107 102 103 109 77 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Professionals 131 99 117 111 108 99 102 109 102 102 101 100 98 72 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Technicians and associate professionals 127 106 119 106 107 102 104 108 108 101 103 104 98 76 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clerks 108 91 104 100 102 100 104 108 106 98 106 112 103 76 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Service workers and shop and market sales workers 130 107 133 117 106 98 99 106 97 96 98 106 111 81 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 113 105 128 95 108 102 108 117 96 104 111 96 94 82 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Craft and related workers 148 115 119 122 115 100 103 105 99 91 95 97 94 90 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Plant and machine operators and assemblers 106 96 104 92 116 117 104 109 104 90 93 96 97 89 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Elementary occupations 99 102 103 126 101 98 100 97 96 110 100 100 91 88 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Eight Out of Nine Regions Exhibited Strong Increases in Online Job Offers, with Biggest Growth in Wales, South East and London

All regions but one have exhibited rapid increases in online offers last month. Sharpest growth occurred in Wales, the South East and London, while more moderate increases were observed in the Midlands, North England and Northern Ireland. Interestingly, East Anglia was the only region in the UK that did not see a noticeable rise in employer demand in February.

During the month, Wales saw online job availability surge, particularly in sales, construction and banking. This has mirrored recent findings from the Labour Force Survey in Wales, from the Office of National Statistics, which revealed that the employment rate in Wales has been increasing over the past year.

In the South East, growth was led by a greater number of offers across the legal, production, education and sales sectors.

Meanwhile in London, job availability rose as a result of higher demand in the legal sector. In fact, all the occupational groups demonstrated a marked jump in demand in February.

In contrast, online job demand remained flat in East Anglia due to fewer offers for legislators and clerks. Consultancy, education, accounting and production sectors also exhibited moderate to strong decreases in recruitment activity, offsetting increases in other categories.

Monster Employment Index Europe Shows Steep Growth in February

The Monster Employment Index Europe rose sharply in February, establishing a new all-time high. The Index jumped ten points from 106 in January to 116 in February, registering the highest rate of growth since its inception in December 2004.

The UK showed the steepest increase during the month, rising 27 points to its highest level to date. France and the Netherlands also saw significant increases in online job demand, as the Index for the two countries rose 16 and 10 points respectively. The Index in Germany recorded a three-point increase in online demand, rebounding from a three-month downward trend and demonstrating increased online recruitment activity in Europe's largest economy. Sweden was the only country that registered a decline in February, dropping five points and ending a five-month growth trend.

Online job demand increased across all nine occupational categories tracked by the Index in February, with demand for legislators, senior officials and managers seeing the steepest rate of growth. The Index's rise was also driven by increased online recruitment activity in the arts, entertainment, sport and media industry sector.

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

Feb 06 Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 ---------------------- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- --- --- 116 106 112 111 112 107 106 106 104 100 98 97 93 82 ---------------------- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --- --- --- ---

Monthly Index results for the five individual countries over the past 14 months are as follows:

Countries Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 06 06 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- France 122 107 112 110 111 91 99 114 105 106 102 99 96 84 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany 109 106 109 111 112 111 108 104 103 99 96 95 91 87 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Netherlands 126 116 119 113 111 105 105 109 103 102 98 98 88 81 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden 111 116 109 101 100 97 86 97 111 114 105 108 107 80 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- United Kingdom 128 101 118 108 108 100 102 108 105 102 102 103 100 73 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Monster Employment Index UK provides a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand in the UK and is compiled by Monster Worldwide, the parent company of the leading global online careers and recruitment resource, Monster(R). The Index is independently audited by ARC Research, a U.S.-based market research, 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://euIndex.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 March will be released on April 11, 2006.

About Monster UK

Monster UK is the local content and language website for Monster, the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. With over 2.2 million visits per month, Monster UK works for everyone by connecting quality job seekers at all levels with leading employers across all industries. The Monster global network consists of local sites in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria, as well as in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. For more information see www.monster.co.uk or call +44 207 406 5050

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, one of the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency networks. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,600 employees in 25 countries, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ:MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index and NASDAQ 100. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com.

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 26 local language and content sites in 24 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.

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SOURCE: Monster Worldwide UK

Monster Worldwide UK Michelle Brown, + 44 (0) 20 7406 5050 michelle.brown@monster.com or Weber Shandwick Tali Kramer, + 44 (0) 20 7067 0500 tkramer@webershandwick.com