Twenty-Four U.S. Metro Areas Show Increased Online Job Demand in August, Demonstrating Strong Recruitment Activity Ahead of Fall Hiring Season

NEW YORK, Sep 15, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST):

  • Minneapolis, San Diego and Seattle Register Greatest Month-to-month Increases in Online Job Availability, According to Monster Local Employment Index
  • Demand for Sales Occupations Increases in 26 of 28 Markets, Suggesting Broad U.S. Business Expansion Activity
  • Online Job Availability in Business and Financial; Education and Training; Legal; and Administration and Support Workers Surges in Majority of Major Metro Markets

Online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities increased in 24 of the top 28 U.S. metropolitan areas in August, according to the latest findings of the Monster Local Employment Index. Online demand for workers in sales; legal; business and financial; and administrative support areas surged in a majority of the markets tracked by the Index, suggesting a broad increase in business activity and expansion throughout much of the country at the outset of the fall hiring season.

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).

Individual Monster Local Employment Index reports containing August 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.

The Minneapolis, San Diego and Seattle metro areas saw the sharpest month-to-month increases in online job availability in August, with demand rising a healthy four points in each market. Minneapolis and Seattle, in particular, continued three-month growth trends and have seen the largest rate of increase in online job demand since the Index's inception in May 2005. Other metro areas that registered solid growth during August included Cleveland, Denver, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, Portland and Tampa. Just three markets were flat for the month - Houston, Kansas City and Washington, D.C. - and only Detroit saw a slight decline, edging down one point after having registered the greatest month-to-month increase of all the markets in July.

Sales and related occupations represented the largest number of online job opportunities in August, with online demand for sales positions soaring in all but two of the metro areas tracked by the Index. Online demand for business and financial; legal; and office and administrative support workers was also strong across the majority of the markets tracked, suggesting a broad increase in business activity and expansion.

"The August findings of the Monster Local Employment Index mirror the record high reading and results of the national Monster Employment Index released earlier this month. The broad growth in online demand measured across nearly all of the metro areas we track showed a significant rebound in August from the seasonal slowdown measured in July, suggesting that online hiring activity has begun to accelerate as we enter the fall hiring season," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International. "The broad surge in demand for sales positions across the majority of the 28 metro areas indicates that businesses are becoming more confident in the strength of the economy and may be ramping up their expansion efforts for the remainder of the year and 2006. We will be closely monitoring how the impact of Hurricane Katrina affects online recruitment activity, especially in the South, over the course of the next few months."

Back-to-School Season Sees Higher Demand for Education-Related Workers While Hiring in Construction, Military Recruitment Continues Upward Trend

Online demand for education, training and library occupations also trended higher across most of the 28 markets tracked by the Index, reflecting stepped-up recruitment efforts in conjunction with the back-to-school season. While the majority of teacher positions have already been filled, schools, libraries and other educational-related organizations often need to continue recruiting additional staff for the new school year.

August also saw further growth in demand for construction-related and military specific occupations, reflecting the continued strength of the housing market and the active recruitment efforts of the U.S. armed forces. In another positive sign, online demand for production workers fell in just two of the markets, reflecting increased economic activity in the manufacturing sector, while transportation and material moving workers also saw increased job availability, likely due to the continued shortage of truck drivers in the U.S.

Overall results for the top 28 U.S. metro markets over the past four months are as follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Market AUG 05 JUL 05 JUN 05 MAY 05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta 103 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Baltimore 101 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston 101 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago 100 99 99 101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cincinnati 104 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dallas 100 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Denver 104 101 102 98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit 103 104 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston 100 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Indianapolis 100 98 99 101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kansas City 101 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles 102 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Miami 101 98 102 98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minneapolis 106 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New York City 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando 100 99 104 96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Philadelphia 101 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix 104 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh 103 101 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Portland 103 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sacramento 101 99 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Diego 104 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco 102 100 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle 106 102 101 99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Louis 101 100 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 102 99 100 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington, D.C. 102 102 101 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

The September results of the Monster Local Employment Index will be released on October 20, 2005.

About the Monster Local Employment Index

The Monster Local Employment Index is an extension of the national Monster Employment Index, which is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web sites, including Monster(R). The local 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. More information about the Index is available at http://LocaleIndex.monsterworldwide.com.

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, June 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, Inc.

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