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Online Recruitment Activity Rises in 24 of the Top 28 U.S. Metro Markets in April, According to the Monster Local Employment Index
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2007--Online job availability rose in 24 of the top 28 U.S. metro markets in April, as online recruitment activity in large cities continued to increase during the height of the spring hiring season, according to the latest findings of the Monster Local Employment Index. The Index is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 different Web sites, including Monster(R).
"April marks the third consecutive month in which a majority of the 28 major markets tracked by the Monster Local Employment Index have shown greater online recruitment activity, which is a positive sign for urban area job seekers," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "This gradual momentum behind the Index's broad rise in recent months is likely a combination of the traditional spring hiring season, employers stepping up their efforts to attract the best candidates from this year's class of graduating students, and generally tight labor conditions in the largest U.S. cities."
Houston and Dallas posted solid gains in online job availability in April, solidifying their positions as the fastest growing major online recruitment markets tracked by the Index. Houston, which jumped five points last month, was the top Index market in terms of growth over the month of April, and has remained the top market in terms of annual growth for the past 11 consecutive months. Food preparation and serving; transportation and material moving; and education, training, and library occupations registered the largest increases in online job demand between March and April.
In terms of year-over-year growth in Houston, construction/extraction is among the top growth categories, trailing only food preparation and serving, as new developments in the housing and commercial sectors continue amid strong population trends. Office and administrative support opportunities also have increased sharply over the year, reflecting an expansion in the general business and professional services sector.
Despite the cooling of the national housing market, overall online recruitment activity in Dallas rose in April on stepped-up demand for blue-collar occupations. Strong population trends and a booming energy sector have helped spur increased demand for workers in construction/extraction, installation/repair and cleaning/maintenance occupations. The growing population base, as well as strong income and spending growth in the Dallas metro area, may be a factor in the rise in online opportunities for food services professionals in the region. On a year-over-year basis, architecture and engineering; and military specific occupations declined, suggesting that reduced defense-related hiring and renewed woes in the local tech industry may have dampened growth in the Dallas manufacturing sector this year. At the same time, expectations of slower growth in federal defense spending may also be impacting recruitment among regional defense contractors.
Los Angeles, which saw its Index rise two points and register its highest annual growth pace on record in April, was lifted by increased online recruitment activity across both white- and blue-collar occupations alike. Healthcare opportunities remain in high demand in the Los Angeles area as the city continues to lead the nation in terms of online demand for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations on an annual growth basis. Los Angeles is also the overall Index's top market for growth in online recruitment of healthcare support positions, surpassing even traditionally strong retirement hotspots such as Miami and Phoenix.
Over the past three months, Los Angeles also is among the fastest growing markets for legal; management; computer and mathematical (IT); and architecture and engineering occupations, demonstrating a strong pick-up in demand for white-collar occupations. Online opportunities for blue-collar occupations also rose in April, as soaring trade with East Asia drove record shipments to the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports, which likely contributed to the further expansion of transportation and material moving online job offerings.
St. Louis, which edged up one point last month, is now showing the fastest rate of growth among all 28 markets tracked by the Index. Blue-collar occupations registered the strongest gains, with food preparation and serving leading all categories, followed closely by installation, maintenance, and repair; and transportation and material moving. Online job availability for white-collar occupations also increased, with business and financial operations; as well as office and administrative support occupations showing greater activity and indicating momentum in the corporate sector. Mirroring the recent strength in the Index for St. Louis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that St. Louis registered the most significant increase in annual payroll growth rate among the 28 Index markets between February and March.
In contrast, the Index measured lower online job availability in Detroit between March and April, reflecting a sluggish local economy weighed down by challenges related to restructuring and layoffs in the auto industry. Detroit was the only Index market that declined last month, driven downward by fewer online opportunities in retail and sales related occupations, as well as creative occupations such as marketing, advertising and public relations. The decline in retail and sales opportunities suggests weaker consumer spending in the metro area. Over the year, online job demand for architecture and engineering; legal; and military specific occupations has also declined.
While overall online job availability in the Phoenix area remained unchanged in April, the flat reading pushed the metro area's annual growth pace down further. As a result, Phoenix is now the slowest growth market on a year-over-year basis among the 28 metro markets tracked by the Index, a sharp contrast from the second quarter of last year when Phoenix was the Index's fastest growing market. Online job demand in Phoenix has softened for white- and blue- collar segments alike, with key categories such as management; computer and mathematical (IT); and sales occupations demonstrating declines over the year. Other sectors contributing to the slowdown in Phoenix include construction; information; and manufacturing. The declines in each of these sectors may be a result of several different trends in the region, including a cooling housing market and efforts by local manufacturers to further embrace automated technology for production.
According to the Index, overall online job availability for sales and related occupations declined or was flat in 14 of the 28 markets in April, and nearly all the markets saw the annual growth pace for this category dip lower. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail sales slipped more than expected in April, and recent BLS data shows that employment in the retail trade industry has remained largely unchanged over the past year.
Overall results for the top 28 U.S. metro markets over the past 13 months are as follows:
APR MAR FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT 07 07 07 07 06 06 06 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta 117 115 113 106 109 110 111 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Baltimore 106 106 105 101 105 106 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston 107 105 104 102 103 105 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago 112 110 109 102 105 109 110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cincinnati 107 106 108 103 105 108 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland 116 115 113 106 110 113 113 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dallas 122 118 114 108 107 111 110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Denver 117 113 108 104 108 112 112 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit 107 108 108 103 106 110 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston 131 126 122 115 117 120 120 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Indianapolis 113 109 108 103 104 109 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kansas City 117 113 111 108 110 114 114 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles 117 115 110 103 103 104 105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami 112 111 108 104 105 107 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minneapolis 115 112 110 108 110 114 116 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New York City 111 109 108 103 104 108 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando 108 108 106 102 103 107 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Philadelphia 109 108 104 103 104 107 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix 111 111 106 105 105 110 110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh 114 112 108 105 105 109 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Portland 116 114 109 105 105 111 113 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sacramento 112 111 108 102 105 108 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Diego 110 109 106 103 106 110 111 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco 114 112 111 107 107 111 111 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle 113 112 110 106 108 111 113 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Louis 122 121 113 106 104 108 111 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 108 107 105 101 100 103 104 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington, D.C. 107 106 102 100 101 104 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR 06 06 06 06 06 06 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta 110 108 106 106 106 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Baltimore 106 107 102 103 103 104 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston 107 107 100 104 106 104 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago 108 107 104 105 106 105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cincinnati 106 105 106 105 109 105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland 108 109 105 106 107 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dallas 110 109 107 107 108 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Denver 112 113 109 106 109 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit 108 108 104 104 106 105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston 117 115 112 111 112 110 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Indianapolis 108 107 107 105 106 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kansas City 113 111 106 107 109 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles 104 101 104 102 104 104 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami 106 105 103 105 106 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minneapolis 113 111 109 109 108 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New York City 106 106 102 104 106 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando 105 105 103 101 103 103 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Philadelphia 105 105 102 101 103 103 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix 111 112 110 111 113 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh 106 106 103 102 103 103 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Portland 112 115 107 108 110 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sacramento 106 109 105 103 106 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Diego 110 115 107 106 107 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco 109 110 105 105 106 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle 112 115 109 109 110 108 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Louis 109 108 105 108 107 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 103 106 104 104 106 106 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington, D.C. 106 106 101 100 102 102 ----------------------------------------------------------------------The May results of the Monster Local Employment Index will be released on June 18, 2007.
About the Monster Local Employment Index
Providing a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand in the top 28 U.S. metro markets, the Monster Local Employment Index is an extension of the national Monster Employment Index, which is compiled each month by researchers at Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), parent company of the leading global online career and recruitment resource, Monster(R). Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web sites, including Monster(R), the Monster Local Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity in the top 28 U.S. markets with the largest working populations.
The Index counts job postings as an indicator of employer demand for employees or, in other words, job availability. Job postings are online advertisements placed by an employer looking to fill one or more vacant, or recently created, job positions. All of the data and findings have been validated for accuracy through independent, monthly third party auditing conducted by ARC Research of Cranford, New Jersey. Individual Index reports containing data for each of the 28 metro markets, as well as additional information on occupational demand in each area, are now available at http://LocaleIndex.monsterworldwide.com.
About Monster Worldwide
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), 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 and the NASDAQ 100. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. 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 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.
CONTACT: Monster Worldwide Kathryn Burns, 212-351-7063 kathryn.burns@monsterworldwide.com or Weber Shandwick Lauren McDonald, 617-520-7116 lmcdonald@webershandwick.com SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.
