PARIS, Nov 08, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq:MNST):
-- Online Job Availability Increases across all Occupational Categories and all Regions
-- Demand for IT Professionals Shows Strong Growth
-- Legislators, Senior Officials and Managers in High Demand in the Banking, Finance and Insurance Sector
Online job recruitment activity and related employment opportunities across France saw a significant rise in October, according to the Monster Employment Index France. A jump of ten points from 98 in September to 108 in October halted a two-month downward trend that the Index registered after reaching an all-time high of 110 in July.
All of the occupational categories tracked by the Index saw increases of varying degrees, with clerks, technicians and professionals registering the highest growth in online job demand. Skilled agricultural and fishery workers and plant and machine operators saw the most moderate rise in online job availability. Significant increases in online job availability for both blue collar and white collar workers points to increased confidence in the French economy during October.
During August and September the banking and finance sector appeared especially conservative in terms of online recruitment activity. However this trend was reversed in October with legislators, senior officials and managers experiencing strong growth in online job demand. The IT sector also saw a strong recovery in October with growth in demand for clerks, technicians and professionals.
Results for the Monster Employment Index France over the past eleven months are as follows:
Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 -------------------------------------------- 108 98 102 110 106 106 104 102 100 94 94 --------------------------------------------"The October results for the Monster Employment Index France mirror the latest findings from the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) which show that French business confidence rose to the highest level in eight months during October. This and falling unemployment are adding to signs of recovery in Europe's third-largest economy," said Patrick Pedersen, Operations Director for Monster France.
All Occupational Categories Register Increased Online Job Demand
Online recruitment activity for clerks registered the steepest growth during October, driven by the IT, transport and logistics, administrative and sales and marketing sectors. This occupational category grew by eleven points, reaching its highest level in France since the inception of the Index.
Technicians saw a significant rise in online demand especially in the sales and marketing sector. The production and manufacturing sector saw a strong growth in demand for both technicians and engineers. This is consistent with rising French industrial production, which according to INSEE rose in August at the fastest pace in almost a year.
Professionals saw a solid growth in online job demand driven by recruitment activity in the IT, sales, production, consulting, environment and accounting sectors. Professionals in the science and engineering sectors also saw online job demand increase significantly.
Skilled agricultural and fishery workers saw a modest increase in online job demand during October, which can be explained by the fact that September is the end of the harvest season in France.
"We started seeing a pick up in online recruitment activity during the latter half of September and this has clearly continued into October," added Pedersen. "Out of all the countries tracked by the Monster Employment Index Europe, France saw the greatest rate of growth during October. Analysts are predicting that the fourth quarter will be a positive one for France, so it will be interesting to see whether French businesses begin to feel more confident about hiring in the coming months."
Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Occupation 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislators, senior officials and managers 99 91 99 111 106 103 105 103 101 98 91 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Professionals 108 99 103 109 105 106 104 102 99 94 94 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Technicians and associate professionals 107 97 100 110 105 106 103 101 103 93 95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clerks 110 99 105 109 105 103 106 104 98 94 95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Service workers and shop and market sales workers 110 105 101 109 111 105 101 106 92 97 100 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 104 103 100 109 108 105 103 101 102 97 91 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Craft and related workers 107 105 104 108 108 106 101 104 102 94 94 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Plant and machine operators and assemblers 102 101 103 111 106 106 102 102 102 92 97 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Elementary occupations 109 91 107 106 95 102 104 106 99 92 98 ----------------------------------------------------------------------Online Job Demand Rises Significantly Across all Regions
All regions in France showed a significant increase in online job demand, with the sharpest increase registered in the East region and the most moderate growth experienced in the Ile de France region.
In the East region, online recruitment activity was driven by demand for legislators, senior officials and clerks. Sectors seeing the highest growth in the region include sales, construction, HR and administration.
In the South West region, the volume of online offers increased considerably for the second month for service and shop workers. Strong growth in online job demand was also registered for the construction, science and IT sectors. In the West region, notable growth in online recruitment activity was seen in the construction sector.
The region that saw the most moderate growth, Ile de France, still registered strong growth for clerical positions. The sales, marketing, PR and IT sectors also saw strong growth in this region.
Monster Employment Index Europe
The Monster Employment Index saw a solid rise of three points, rising from 110 in September to 113 in October. For the first time since May 2005, all countries tracked by the Index registered growth of varying degrees. France saw the steepest growth in October, rising ten points, followed by the Netherlands and the UK, which both rose three points during the month. Germany and Sweden registered moderate increases of one point, after showing solid growth in the previous month.
Monster Employment Index Europe results for the past eleven months are as follows:
Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 -------------------------------------------- 113 110 109 109 108 105 104 103 100 94 94 -------------------------------------------- Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Country 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 05 04 ------------------------------------------------------------ France 108 98 102 110 106 106 104 102 100 94 94 ------------------------------------------------------------ Germany 117 116 114 110 109 106 103 102 99 96 93 ------------------------------------------------------------ Netherlands 111 108 108 110 107 106 103 103 97 93 97 ------------------------------------------------------------ Sweden 99 98 94 98 104 105 101 103 102 91 97 ------------------------------------------------------------ United Kingdom 106 103 103 106 104 103 103 104 102 91 97 ------------------------------------------------------------The Monster Employment Index France provides a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand in France and is compiled by Monster Worldwide, the parent company of the leading global online careers and recruitment resource, Monster(R). The Index is independently audited by ARC Research, a U.S.-based market research, to ensure the accuracy of the data within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. The U.S. version of the Monster Employment Index was first introduced in April 2004.
Additional information on the Monster Employment Index France is available online at http://euindex.monsterworldwide.com [1]. Visitors can subscribe to receive the monthly France Index report as well as the broader Monster Employment Index Europe report in French, English, German or Swedish. Monster Employment Index France data for November will be released on December 13, 2005.
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 4,800 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 [2].
About Monster
Monster(R) is the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. A division of Monster Worldwide, Monster was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, USA. Monster has 26 local language and content sites in 24 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 [3] or by calling 1-800-MONSTER. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://recruiter.monster.com [4].
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.
SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.
Monster Worldwide, Inc. Annabelle Maury, +33 (0) 1 41 06 22 57 annabelle.maury@monster.fr [5]