September Monster Employment Index Shows Job Growth and Where the Jobs Are

View the Full Monster Employment Index

View the Regional Monster Employment Index

Monster Employment Index Rises 3% Year-over-Year

New York, October 5, 2012

September 2012 Index Highlights:

Monster Employment Index U.S. grows three percent annually in September and declines two percent month-over-month

Retail trade (up 12 percent) leads all sectors in annual growth, while construction rises 11 percent accelerating from nine percent recorded in August

Public administration (down 15 percent) and Information (down six percent) continue to exhibit negative year-over-year growth

Among the metro markets tracked by the Index, New York and Los Angeles gain momentum, while Atlanta records top growth annually

The Monster Employment Index U.S. is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job posting activity based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career Web sites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.

Industry Year-over-year Trends: 14 of the 20 industries monitored by the Index showed positive annual growth trends.

Retail Trade (up 12 percent) finished atop all industry sectors coinciding with the recently reported escalation in consumer spending

Construction (up 11 percent) accelerated from the nine percent growth rate recorded in August, in line with recent relatively positive housing starts figures

Professional, scientific, and technical services (up three percent) recorded a reduced growth pace compared to recent months reflected in the decelerated recruitment growth trends for architecture/ engineering and computer and mathematical occupations

Finance and Insurance (up three percent) remained flat month-over-month with continued recruitment activity for sales agents and personal financial advisors, as well as information/records clerks

Public administration (down 15 percent) continued to chart the steepest annual decline in the Index

Top Growth Industries Year-over-year Growth

Retail Trade

Construction

Transportation and Warehousing

Administrative, Support and Waste Management Services

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

Lowest Growth Industries Year-over-year Growth

Management of Companies and Enterprises

Utilities

Educational Services

Information

Public Administration

Occupation Year-over-year Trends: Annual online demand for workers rose in 19 of 23 occupational categories in August.

Healthcare Occupations – Healthcare Support (up 17 percent) and Healthcare Practitioners and Technical (up 14 percent) recorded double-digit growth in September

Computer and Mathematical remained flat; while Production (down five percent) turned negative in September

Geographic year-over-year Trends: All 28 metro markets recorded positive annual growth in September.

Atlanta (up 13 percent) led all metro markets in terms of annual growth with notable momentum gains in occupational categories like management and healthcare

New York (up 10 percent) and Los Angeles (up 11 percent) gained momentum from August levels with a return to double-digit annual growth rate. Growth was recorded in computer and mathematical, business and financial operations, and arts, design, entertainment, sports and media for both markets

Growth eased for Midwestern markets monitored by the Index, with Cleveland (up one percent); Kansas City (up three percent); Indianapolis (up nine percent) and Chicago (up nine percent) recording decelerated annual growth pace from the prior month

Monster Employment Index Europe continued to demonstrate an annual reduction in online recruitment, declining by two percent in September. Environment, architecture/ urbanism and Education were the only two sectors to record double-digit annual growth, while Germany continued to remain the top growth country although at a decelerated pace of 3 percent.

Monster Employment Index India rises five percent from a year ago in August. Shipping/Marine continues to record the highest growth, while the printing and packaging sector also records strong annual growth. Among occupations, arts/ creative and management record solid annual growth.

About the Monster Employment Index U.S.

Launched in April 2004 with data collected since October 2003, the Monster Employment Index U.S. is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online job posting activity 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 periodically by Research America, Inc. The audit validates the accuracy of the national online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW - News), 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. 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.