Thumbs Down: Monster Employment Index Dips in December

Monster
Employment Index Dips in December

December 2009 Index Highlights:

• Index
  edges down four points in December, reflecting mild seasonal lull in U.S.
  online recruitment activity


• Year-on-year,
  the Index is now down 12 percent, the most modest rate of annual decline
  in the past 18 months


• Offerings
  in healthcare and government increase, while hospitality and retail
  sectors retract


• Online
  job demand declines across 26 major metro markets with Cincinnati
  recording the sharpest drop

NEW YORK, January 7, 2010- The Monster Employment Index edged down four points in
December, amid a relatively mild seasonal fall in online recruitment activity.
On a year-over-year basis, the Index is now down 12 percent, the mildest rate
of annual decline seen during the past 18 months indicating slight stability in
underlying employer demand for workers at the end of the year.



The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job demand based
on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a
large representative selection of corporate career Web sites and job boards,
including Monster®.



During December, online job availability rose in three of the Index's 20
industry sectors and in six of the 23 occupational categories monitored. Index
results for the past 13 months are as follows:

"The decline in the Index during December
is typical due to end-of-year seasonality. However, the improvement in the
annual rate of decline lends evidence to a slight firming in underlying
employer demand for workers at the end of the year" said Jesse Harriott,
senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide.
"Despite a challenging economic climate, hiring conditions seem to
continue to stabilize, if not already slowly improving."



Public Administration
Registers Largest Monthly Gain in Online Job Demand in December; Wholesale
Trade Declines

The public administration industry registered the highest increase in online
job demand in December recovering from a 26-month low. Agriculture, forestry,
fishing and hunting also rose in December, adding 3 points. Healthcare and
social assistance edged up while arts, entertainment, and recreation remained
flat on the month.



In contrast, wholesale trade saw a four-point drop but was nearly flat
year-on-year (-2 percent) in the Index, a state not seen since April 2008.
Online recruitment activity also dipped in the utilities; retail trade; and
transportation and warehousing industries in December.



Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the only industry category
showing greater online job availability compared to a year ago, while Arts,
entertainment, and recreation saw the largest year-over-year decline.



Healthcare Support
Occupations See Greatest Increase in Online Job Availability in December;
Management; and Business and Financial Operations Fall

In December, online hiring demand rose in six of the 24 occupational categories
monitored by the Index. Healthcare support registered the strongest monthly
rise in online job availability in December with a 15-point increase. Demand
also strengthened for protective service; military specific; and legal
occupations, fuelled by government hiring.



Meanwhile, management; and business and financial operations registered notable
falls in December, while sales and related occupations saw a downward correction
following three months of elevated seasonal demand.



Farming, fishing and forestry continued to lead all occupational categories in
terms of year-over-year growth with a 16 percent annual rise in opportunities.
Education, training, and library also reported more online job offerings than a
year ago.



Online Job Availability
Reduces in All Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in December

Online job demand fell in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in December, and
all nine remain down year-over-year. Mountain experienced the most moderate
rate of decline, while New England experienced the steepest fall largely due to
a decline in the state of Massachusetts where online worker demand reduced to a
5-year low.



Meanwhile, all regions showed sustained decrease in online job offerings over
the fourth quarter as a whole as well on a year-over-year basis, with East
South Central and West South Central recording the smallest and largest rates
of annual decline, respectively.



Twenty Six of the Top 28
Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Decreases in December

During December, online recruitment activity decreased in twenty six markets
while Cleveland and Minneapolis remained flat. Minneapolis was the only market
to note a net uptick in online recruitment activity over the fourth quarter as
a whole, gaining 2 points between September and December. Despite the slight
dip in December, online demand in Phoenix has remained steady over a 6-month
period largely due to increased demand in business and financial operations and
architecture and engineering occupations.



Meanwhile, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. saw the sharpest rate of monthly
decline while Boston registered the largest fourth-quarter drop.



Year-over-year, all 28 markets continued to report falls, with Portland showing
the most moderate rate of decline, followed by Pittsburgh and Miami.



To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for December 2009,
and access current individual data charts for each of the 28 metro markets
tracked, please visit http://about-monster.com/employment-index..
Data for the month of January 2010 will be released on February 4, 2010.



About the Monster
Employment Index

Launched in April 2004 with data collected since October 2003, the Monster
Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online
job demand conducted by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Based on a real-time review of
millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative
selection of corporate career sites and job boards, including Monster, the Monster
Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity
nationwide. All of the data and findings in the Monster Employment Index have
been validated for their accuracy through independent, third party auditing
conducted on a monthly basis by Research America, Inc. The audit validates the
accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of
error of +/- 1.05%.



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 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. 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/.