New Year, New Career: Monster Polls Reveal Americans Are Focused on Career Goals in 2004; 93 percent of Americans Plan to Look For a New Job in the New Year

MAYNARD, Mass., Dec 18, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The New Year signifies a fresh start - one that typically encourages workers to reevaluate career goals and job seekers to re-energize their search for the perfect job. Recent Monster Meter polls support these traditions, revealing that 93 percent of Americans plan to look for a new job in the New Year and 61 percent say getting a new job is #1 on their New Year's Resolution list. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster(R), the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace.

"The start of a new year provides an opportunity to reevaluate career aspirations," said Jeff Taylor, founder and chief monster. "Our latest poll findings indicate the majority of workers, both those currently employed and job seekers in search of new opportunities, are ready to make a change and take control of their careers. Monster's new brand campaign, 'Today's the Day,' supports this empowering message - one that encourages job seekers as well as employers to bring their goals to fruition."

The 2004 Monster New Year Survey

The Monster Meter asked, "Do you plan to look for a new job in the New Year?"(a)

  • 93% said: "Yes."
  • 7% said: "No."

The Monster Meter asked, "What is at the top of your 2004 New Year's resolution list?"(b)

  • 61% said: "Get a new job."
  • 19% said: "Lose weight."
  • 13% said: "Improve my work life balance."
  • 7% said: "Become more organized."

The Monster Meter asked job seekers, "Do expect to receive a holiday bonus this year?"(c)

  • 75% said: "No."
  • 25% said: "Yes."

The Monster Meter asked, "Do you think the economy is finally turning the corner?"(d)

  • 56% said: "No."
  • 44% said: "Yes."

The Monster Meter asked employers, "Is your company planning to give bonuses this year?"(e)

  • 60% said: "No."
  • 40% said: "Yes."

"These poll results are telling, and it's an important message for employers to hear as we finish the year. Companies can do a great service to their employees by communicating their excitement about opportunities and plans for 2004," added Taylor.

Monster Teams Up with WeightWatchers.com

In addition to improving careers, weight-loss is traditionally high on American New Years' Resolution lists. In fact, 19 percent of Monster users rate losing weight as their top goal for 2004. With this objective in mind, Monster has aligned with WeightWatchers.com to launch "A Fresh Start in 2004," a featured report designed to help site visitors stick to their New Year's resolutions. This relationship cross-links the Monster and WeightWatchers.com websites, providing articles and expert-driven advice to help users maintain focus and achieve their goals in the New Year. The report is available at http://featuredreports.monster.com/freshstart/intro/.

(a) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 18,406 votes cast by Monster users from December 8th to December 9th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monster's current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. Users may review the results of this poll by going to http://forums.monster.com/poll.asp?pollid=6201. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

(b) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 4,522 votes cast by Monster users on December 10th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(c) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 15,594 votes cast by Monster users from December 4th to December 7th, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(d) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 32,185 votes cast by Monster users from December 1st to December 3rd, 2003 on the Monster.com homepage. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

(e) The results of this Monster Meter are based on 865 votes cast by Monster employers on the MOHQ homepage from December 8th to December 17th, 2003. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation.

About Monster

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Maynard, Mass., Monster is the leading global careers website, recording over 46.7 million visits during the month of November 2003, according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland. Monster is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. More information about Monster is available at http://www.monster.com/or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

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, the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and one of the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency networks. TMP Worldwide is also a provider of direct marketing services. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,300 employees in 19 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.

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 the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our 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 we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

SOURCE: Monster

Monster
Kevin Mullins, 978-461-8751
kevin.mullins@monster.com
or
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Jackie Pigliucci, 617-520-7066
jpigliucci@webershandwick.com