Monster Study Examines Motivations Behind Career Decisions Across Age, Gender and Ethnicity - Revealing Commonalities and Key Differences

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 2006--Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), today announced availability of a research study examining the factors that motivate a worker to leave a job, or accept or decline a new position. The study, titled "A Changing Landscape: The Effect of Age, Gender and Ethnicity on Career Decisions," surveyed employed online job seekers across three demographic segments - age, gender and ethnicity - to identify commonalities and key differentiators between these groups in terms of their career decisions.

"Across the survey segments, we found that salary, opportunity for work-life balance and benefits were the leading deal-makers when a seeker accepts a new job - regardless of his or her age, gender or ethnicity," said Steve Pemberton, Chief Diversity Officer, Monster. "It is also interesting that among the commonalities we uncovered, diversity in the workforce is not something valued just by diverse populations. On the contrary, almost half of all Caucasians surveyed indicate that a prospective employer's level of diversity is very important to them."

To help employers with targeting recruiting and retention efforts, the study also examines key differences across the surveyed demographics. Below are select highlights that address the following: the factors weighed more heavily by ethnic job seekers (African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics) when evaluating a potential employer; the importance of work-life balance initiatives in attracting female employees and retaining male employees; and what drives older workers to search for new jobs.

Monster will conduct a Webcast on October 30th at 1:00 p.m. ET during which the survey's complete findings will be discussed. Registration may be found at: http://monster.edatab2b.com/webinar1030.aspx

Ethnicity

A salient finding among ethnic job seekers surveyed is that this group is particularly cognizant of opportunities for advancement. Eighty percent of African-Americans and 77 percent of Hispanics surveyed indicate the opportunity for upward mobility is "important" when deciding whether to accept a new job, as compared to just 63 percent of their Caucasian counterparts.

"When evaluating a job opportunity, ethnic job seekers want to feel confident about their opportunities for advancement. As such, this group is more likely to scrutinize a prospective employer's learning and development initiatives," notes Pemberton.

Gender

Women tend to place a higher value on work-life balance than men do when considering a new job. Forty-one percent of women - compared to just 26 percent of men - believe having no flexibility with regard to work hours is a reason to not accept a new position. However, 40 percent of men indicate their current employer is not flexible enough in terms of allowing them to balance their professional and personal lives, compared to just 28 percent of women.

"Based on our findings, more women than men are looking for benefits like telecommuting and flexible work days during the job selection process," surmised Pemberton. "But when you look at the reasons why workers leave an organization, work-life balance is a bigger area of contention among men. The bottom line for employers is that promoting work-life balance is key in attracting and retaining people, regardless of gender."

Age

"There are currently about 150 million workers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and 78 million of these workers are Baby Boomers who represent the most skilled and knowledgeable workers in the labor market," Pemberton said. "As many people in this generation are planning to forgo fulltime retirement, savvy employers should focus on offering competitive health insurance and retirement plans - the factors we found to be more important to this demographic than to younger employees."

Methodology

This report presents the results of an online study conducted July 10-20, 2006 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Respondents were recruited from an online panel and qualified for the study based on two criteria: (1) being employed - either full- or part-time - and (2) ethnicity (African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American). Weighting was used to restore ethnicities to their proper proportions. A total of 1,859 adult online Americans, 18 years and older - 801 men and 1058 women - participated, including: 302 African-Americans, 300 Hispanics, 302 Asian-Americans, 927 Caucasians, and 28 other Americans.

About Monster Worldwide

Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,600 employees in 35 countries, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ 100. 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 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 34 local language and content sites in 32 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://info.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.

CONTACT: Monster Contacts: Monster Danielle Perry, 978-461-8366 danielle.perry@monster.com or Weber Shandwick (For Monster) Andy Rohr, 617-520-7030 arohr@webershandwick.com SOURCE: Monster