Monster Employment Index Shows Slight Increase in Online Job Availability for May

May 2007 Index Highlights: Index rises three points in May, extending five-month upward trend in online job demand Year-over-year growth rate dips to 13 percent, yet shows moderate pick-up from sluggish pace registered in first quarter Online demand for healthcare professionals increases further in May Construction and manufacturing-related categories decline in May, suggesting continued softness in the goods-producing sector Online demand for white-collar positions eases as a slower U.S. economy appears to weigh on corporate hiring and expansion New England region registers strongest gain in online opportunities for the month, while Pacific region dips amidst weaker demand for workers in California
NEW YORK, May 31, 2007 - The Monster Employment Index rose three points in May, suggesting U.S. online recruitment activity and related demand for workers has stabilized at the end of the busy spring hiring season.  Overall, 13 of 20 industries and seven of 23 occupational categories tracked by the Index registered increases of varying degrees last month.  Year-over-year, the Index's annual growth rate dipped slightly to 13 percent, but showed a moderate improvement over the slower pace recorded in the first quarter of this year.  The Monster Employment Index is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 different Web sites, including Monster?.
 
Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:

May
07      Apr.
07      Mar.
07      Feb.
07      Jan.
07      Dec.
06      Nov.
06      Oct.
06      Sept.
06      Aug.
06      Jul.
06      Jun. 06 May 06
189     186     185     177     168     167     175     172     172     173     165     171     167

"Despite registering a more moderate annual rate of increase compared to the same period last year, the Monster Employment Index has shown stepwise growth in online job availability since the beginning of the year, reflecting a relatively stable U.S. labor market," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide.  "The Index's steady, upward trajectory is encouraging news for job seekers, particularly for this year's graduating class, who are now actively entering the workforce.  The healthcare sector is just one example where skill shortages remain acute and online recruitment efforts have continued to intensify over the past several months," added Pogorzelski.

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting; Information; and Educational Services Industries Show Greater Demand for Workers in May
The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry category registered the highest rate of increase in online job opportunities last month, mirroring Index findings from previous years, as businesses in these sectors stepped up recruitment activity ahead of the busy summer season.  Online job availability for workers in the information industry also rose sharply during the month, causing the category to register its largest increase in more than two years.
Demand for workers in the educational services industry climbed for the eleventh consecutive month, edging up three points between April and May.  The educational services industry category is now up 14 percent over the year, amid a wider array of online job offers for both full-time and substitute teachers across the country.
By contrast, online demand within most industries in the goods-producing sector dipped sharply in May, including mining, utilities, construction and manufacturing.  Year-over-year, four industries are showing reduced online job availability, including finance and insurance; and arts, entertainment and recreation.  The transportation and warehousing category, on the other hand, is up 54 percent over the year and showing the strongest gain among the 20 industries tracked.

Online Demand for Healthcare and Education Occupations Rises in May
Online recruitment activity for healthcare workers rose again in May, with the Index showing an increased number of employment opportunities in the practitioners and technical; as well as support category, and reflecting continued strong demand for a wide range of healthcare positions.  Both categories are among the fastest growing on a year-over-year basis, following a gradual acceleration since the beginning of the year, reflecting broad, sustained shortages among both higher- and lower-level skilled healthcare workers.
        Education, training and library occupations were also in slightly greater demand between April and May, pushing the category up two points.  Year-over-year, the category is up 19 percent and showing its highest annual growth rate in more than two years, suggesting that the demand for teachers is outweighing the supply of willing and available candidates.
 Online opportunities for blue-collar occupations such construction and extraction; installation, maintenance and repair; production; and transportation and material moving all declined by varying degrees or remained flat on the month, suggesting weak overall hiring activity in the country's manufacturing sector.  According to the BLS, factory employment continued its long slide in April, shedding 19,000 jobs, and is now down 117,000 jobs over the past year.
The Index's May findings also showed moderately reduced online demand for workers in all major white-collar occupations, including management; business and financial operations; computer and mathematical (IT); architecture and engineering; and life, physical and social science.

New England Region Continues Upward Trend in April
        Online recruitment activity in the New England region rose sharply for the fourth consecutive month in May, amid increased online job availability for technology and science-related occupations across Massachusetts, and stronger overall demand for workers in Maine.  The New England region's gain last month brought its year-over-year growth pace up to 17 percent.  In contrast, online opportunities in the Pacific region eased during May, largely due to softer recruitment activity in California.
  A total of 37 U.S. states registered increased online job demand last month with North Carolina reporting the highest rate of growth in online job availability on a year-over-year basis.
To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for May 2007, including all charts and tables, please visit http://www.monsterworldwide.com/Press_Room/MEI.html.  Data for the month of June 2007 will be released on July 5, 2007.

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 more than 1,500 Web sites, including a variety of corporate career sites, job boards and 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 ARC Research.  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. (NASDAQ: MNST), 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 and the NASDAQ 100. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com.  More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com.

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.

Contacts:
General Information:
Kathryn Burns
Monster Worldwide
(212) 351-7063
 kathryn.burns[at]monsterworldwide.com
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