NEW YORK, November 3, 2005 - The Monster Employment Index rose strongly in October, demonstrating a sharp rebound in U.S. online job demand and online job recruitment activity following the brief dip measured by the Index in September. Despite the early negative impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the overall Index increased three points, rising from 140 in September 2005 to 143 in October, the highest level since the Index's inception and a 29-point increase over its October 2004 level of 104.
"The October findings of the Monster Employment Index showed a significant rebound in online recruitment activity in October, following the slight pullback measured in September, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and gas prices soared to new highs," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "All nine U.S. regions and a majority of industries and occupational categories tracked by the Index saw increased online job availability during the past month, reflecting the underlying strength of the U.S. economy, which saw a better-than-expected 3.8% rise in real GDP during the third quarter. Judging from the October Index findings, the fourth quarter hiring environment is off to a strong start and is back to building upon the momentum experienced prior to September."
Construction Extends Year-Long Upward Growth Trend, While Manufacturing Sees First Rise Since April
Online recruitment activity in the construction industry extended its year-long upward growth trend, showing the sharpest rate of increase in online job availability among industries during the month of October. The healthy gain reflected the continued strength in the U.S. housing market, as well as intensified post-Katrina reconstruction efforts. Overall, online job demand for workers rose in 12 of 20 industries during October, with strong growth measured in the following industries:
" Manufacturing, which rose three points during the month, its first increase since April of this year and an encouraging sign for production workers;
" Arts, entertainment, and recreation, which saw renewed growth in online recruitment activity in October after a flat third quarter, due in part to intensified hiring for the upcoming winter sports season and a pick-up in tourism in many parts of the country; and
" Retail trade, which edged higher for the second straight month as retailers continued staffing up for the holiday season.
Online Demand for Military Occupations Rebounds after Sharp Drop in September
Military-related positions saw the greatest rate of increase in online job demand among occupations during the month of October. Contributing to the rise was the U.S. military's stepped-up recruiting efforts to keep pace with its personnel needs to support efforts in Iraq, as well as higher demand for federal aid and relief workers, and defense and aerospace professionals. There was a particularly large spike in online demand for defense and aerospace professionals who have security clearance. Overall online demand for workers rose in 17 of 24 occupational categories in October, showing higher online job availability across a wide range of positions. Other occupations that registered significant increases during the month included:
" Architecture and engineering, which continued a ten-month growth trend and saw a particularly large spike in online demand in October, partially due to a boost in spending toward research and development (R&D) operations across a number of industries;
" Computer and mathematical, which saw a significant spike in growth, potentially due to increased investment in technology across industries; and
" Installation, maintenance and repair, which showed an upward spike in October as demand for repair and reconstruction workers in hurricane-affected areas rose strongly.
U.S. Online Job Demand Shows Broad Growth as All U.S. Regions Rise in October
Online job demand for workers increased across all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in October, led by the West South Central region, which registered the greatest month-to-month increase. Online job availability in the West South Central region rose a total of seven points to 149 - one point shy of its all-time high - likely due to intensified rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. All U.S. regions remained at very high levels when compared year over year.
Forty-two U.S. states, along with the District of Columbia, registered increases during the past month, with Alaska, Kansas, Mississippi and Louisiana among those seeing the sharpest gains, as some of the Gulf Coast states saw hurricane relief efforts driving online job demand higher during the past month.
To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for October 2005, including all charts and tables, please visit http://www.monsterworldwide.com/Press_Room/MEI.html. Data for the month of November 2005 will be released on December 1, 2005.
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. (NASDAQ: MNST), the parent company of the leading global online careers and recruitment resource, Monster ®. 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, a Cranford, New Jersey-based provider of innovative click and brick market research solutions. The audit validates the accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. Data for the month of October 2005 will be released on November 3, 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.
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 or by calling 1-800-MONSTER. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://recruiter.monster.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, July 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.
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