Thumbs Down: Monster Employment Index Down in January

Monster
Employment Index Edges Down in January

January 2010 Index Highlights:

• Index
  slips one point lower in January, reflecting continued moderation in U.S.
  online recruitment activity to start the year


• Year-on-year,
  the Index is now down 3 percent, the most marginal rate of decline since
  the beginning of the recession in 2008


• Offerings
  in education; arts, entertainment and recreation rise, while construction
  and wholesale trade contract from last month


• Online
  job demand falls by varying degrees in all of the 28 major metro markets
  monitored by the Index

NEW YORK, February 4, 2010- The Monster Employment Index edged down one point in
January, while the annual rate of decline moderated to an almost-flat 3 percent,
as the Index appears close to emerging from a period of negative annual growth
that spans back to January 2008.



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 January, online job availability rose in 8 of the Index's 20 industry
sectors and in 7 of the 23 occupational categories monitored. Index results for
the past 13 months are as follows:

"The Monster Employment Index was nearly on
par with its year-ago level in January, as last year's declining trends began
to shift towards stabilization in a number of industries," said Jesse
Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster
Worldwide. "With the economy returning to a stage of positive growth,
we've seen subtle signs of firming in hiring trends, even for sectors like
finance in recent months."



Public Administration
Registers Large Monthly Gain in Online Job Demand in January; Construction and
Wholesale Trade Edge Down

Outside of the small agriculture and utilities sectors, Public administration
led all industries with an 11-point gain in January.



Arts, entertainment, and recreation notched a rare increase in January, as
demand edged up from late-2009 lows. The educational services industry also
rose in January, starting the new year with relatively heated demand for
additional workers. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction edged up on
the month amidst improved labor market conditions in the primary sector.



In contrast, construction and wholesale trade continued to slide from the
recent high seen in the November Index, contrasting with the industry's typical
seasonal trend. Online recruitment activity also dipped in the accommodation
and food services; management of companies and enterprises; and administrative
and support industries in January.



Utilities; educational services; real estate; and transportation show greater
online job availability compared to a year ago, while arts, entertainment, and
recreation continues to decline on an annual basis in January.



Personal Care
Occupations See Increase in Online Job Availability in January; Community and
Social Services; Food Preparation and Serving Fall

In January, online hiring demand rose in seven and remained flat in five of the
23 occupational categories monitored by the Index. Occupations related to
personal care and service; and farming, fishing and forestry registered the
strongest monthly rises in online job availability in January.



Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media also edged upward, coinciding
with the somewhat positive trends in online demand for the arts industry as a
whole. The category however experienced a mild decline on a year-over-year
basis. Education, training and library also experienced a strong surge in the
January Index and is now up 19 percent year-on-year.



Meanwhile, community and social services; and food preparation and serving
occupations edge down by unseasonably sharp degrees in the January Index.



Education, training and library led all occupational categories in terms of
year-over-year growth with a 19 percent annual rise in opportunities. Farming,
fishing and forestry; transportation; and sales and related occupations also
reported more online job offerings than a year ago.



Online Job Availability
Rises in One U.S. Census Bureau Region in January

Online job demand rose in the East South Central region in January. New England
was unchanged from December's level, in contrast to the typical seasonal
decline in recruitment seen in this region. South Atlantic noted a 2 point
decline, but is likewise in contrast to the deep seasonal declines the region
usually exhibits in the January month. Mountain showed the mildest net decrease
in online demand over the past 3 months. On the year, East South Central is the
only region to improve.



Among the states and the District, nearly half registered increased or steady
online job opportunities in January led by New Hampshire, while Louisiana
experienced the steepest decline. New York, the largest state by population,
exhibited positive gains from a year-ago in the Index.



All of the Top 28 Major
U.S. Metro Markets Register Decreases in January

During January, online recruitment activity slowed in all major metropolitan
markets. Houston and Tampa registered the most marginal reductions, while
Washington D. C. saw the steepest decline in January.



Year-over-year, 25 of the 28 markets continued to report fall. Portland and
Pittsburgh noted positive growth while Indianapolis remained flat.



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 February 2010 will be released on March 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%.