NEW YORK, December 1, 2005 - Online job demand among employers throughout the U.S. jumped sharply higher in November, as online recruitment activity increased across a wide set of industries and occupations, and propelled the Monster Employment Index to its highest level since its inception. Driven by significantly greater demand for workers in the construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, and utilities industries over the past month, the Index surged six points to a new all-time high, rising from 143 in October to 149 in November. The Index's overall results for the past 13 months are as follows:
Nov. 05 Oct. 05 Sept. 05 Aug. 05 Jul. 05 Jun. 05 May 05 Apr. 05 Mar. 05 Feb. 05 Jan. 05 Dec. 04 Nov. 04
149 143 140 142 134 136 134 131 130 122 120 113 117
"The Monster Employment Index's sharp rise in November reflects heightened staffing needs in the retail and wholesale trade industries for the year-end holiday season, but also suggests that U.S. businesses are more confident about the strength of the economy and are actively hiring in anticipation of further expansion in 2006," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "While the Index's strong upward momentum in November likely has a seasonal component, since economic activity and payroll employment typically peak toward the end of the fourth quarter, the findings clearly point to a still expanding U.S. economy that is helping to create an ever-increasing number of online job opportunities for workers across much of the country."
Wholesale Trade and Retail Trade Industries Show Increased Online Demand for Workers, Suggesting Strong Pre-holiday Recruitment Activity in November
Online recruitment activity in the retail trade and wholesale trade industries rose sharply in November, reflecting stores' efforts to increase staffing support during the holiday shopping season. Online opportunities for workers in the utilities industry showed the greatest rate of increase during the month, suggesting active preparations for strong winter season demand and a shortage of experienced technical personnel. Overall, online job demand for workers rose in nine of 20 industries during November, with strong growth measured in the following:
" Construction, which extended a six-month upward growth trend, but at a more measured pace than previous months, mirroring other indicators that suggest that the U.S. housing boom may be beginning to show signs of cooling off;
" Professional, scientific, and technical services, which saw renewed growth in online recruitment activity in November and higher demand for workers across an array of service sector companies; and
" Public administration, which showed a solid rebound after declining in October, and remained 14 points higher year over year, suggesting continued growth in demand for workers by public sector enterprises.
Online Demand for Architecture and Engineering Occupations Surges in November
Online job demand for architecture and engineering professionals surged 18 points in November, continuing a remarkable 11-month growth trend. The category's record 62-point rise over the past 12 months suggests a significant strengthening in online demand for technically skilled workers in the U.S. and an apparent shortage of qualified engineers. Overall online demand for workers rose in 15 of 23 occupational categories in November, showing higher online job availability across a wide range of white-collar and blue-collar positions. Other occupations that registered a significant increase in online job availability during the month include:
" Computer and mathematical, which saw a significant spike in growth, indicating higher demand for IT professionals and providing a more encouraging outlook for the nation's technology sector;
" Sales and related, which continued to see sharp growth due to higher demand for workers in advance of the holiday shopping season and businesses gearing up for expansion in the first quarter of 2006;
" Community and social services, which continued a 10-month upward growth trend that indicates solid demand for workers in the nation's non-profit sector.
West South Central Region Sees Greatest Increase in Online Job Demand in November, Led by Strong Growth in Louisiana and Texas
Online job demand for workers rose in eight of nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in November, led by the West South Central region, which saw a significant spike as New Orleans employers sought additional personnel in an effort to resume business operations, and Texas' improved economic outlook helped increase online hiring activity among businesses. The Pacific, New England and Mountain regions also registered higher online job availability during the month, while the West North Central region, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas, was the only region that declined.
Thirty-four U.S. states registered increases of varying degrees during November, with California, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas among those seeing the sharpest gains. The significant rise in online job demand among Gulf Coast states was likely driven by intensifying hurricane relief and reconstruction efforts during the month.
To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for November 2005, including all charts and tables, please visit http://www.monsterworldwide.com/Press_Room/MEI.html. Data for the month of December 2005 will be released on January 5, 2006.
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 December 2005 will be released on January 6, 2006.
About Monster Worldwide
Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster ®, 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 ® 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.
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