Monster Global Poll Reveals Employer Encouragement Not Driving Decision to Volunteer

MAYNARD, Mass., Dec 18, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new global poll by Monster reports that 25 percent of respondents are volunteering to gain experience, lending evidence that job seekers are getting more creative in demonstrating their value to prospective employees. At the same time, the poll reveals only 5 percent of respondents reporting that they were motivated to volunteer because it was encouraged by their employers.

"The opportunity to volunteer is very attractive for job seekers and should be considered as another tool for companies to maintain a highly engaged and motivated workforce," said Norma Gaffin, director of content for Monster.com. "Job seekers are looking for opportunities to volunteer in this highly competitive environment in order to acquire networking contacts, new skills and more."

Gaining valuable job experience wasn't the only incentive for job seekers as 34 percent of respondents indicated that they lend their time and resources because it is important to them.

There were compelling differences when looking at the poll results by geography:

• The incentive to gain experience from volunteering was the highest in the UK, where 43 percent of respondents claimed they volunteered to gain work experience. This was also motivation for 35 percent of respondents in both Canada and India.
• Job seekers in Denmark (almost 45 percent) were most likely to volunteer because it was important to them while those in India (21 percent) were least likely to volunteer for the same reason.
• Lack of interest, and not time, was indicated as the reason why 17 percent of respondents in Europe do not make the time to volunteer, with respondents in Sweden showing the least interest (29 percent)
• 12 percent of job seekers from India indicated that they make time to volunteer because their company encourages it while only 4 percent of European respondents were influenced by their employer's encouragement.

Poll participants include 10,041 visitors to Monster's sites across Europe, the U.S., Canada and India who responded to the Monster Global Poll question, "Which factors would most likely motivate you to volunteer your time?" Respondents from Europe accounted for 56 percent of the survey results, with 35 percent from the U.S. and the remaining nine percent from India.

The results of the current Monster Global Poll are based on votes cast by Monster visitors from: Oct. 5 - 12, 2009. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Global poll, a product of Monster^(R), the leading global online careers website and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve 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. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-monster.com

SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.

North America:
Monster.com
Kathy O'Reilly, 978-823-2002 or 978-394-9334
kathy.oreilly@monster.com
or
Europe:
Weber Shandwick
Christina Cooper, +44 (0)20 7067 0151
ccooper@webershandwick.com