January 2006 Index Highlights:
" Index soars six points to 151 in January, rebounding strongly from seasonal slowdown in December 2005
" Online opportunities for white-collar workers in accounting, IT and legal professions surge, demonstrating broad strength in business services
" Demand for protective service and military specific occupations rises sharply, resuming growth following two-month downward trend
" All nine U.S. Census Bureau divisions edge upward, with the West South Central region again posting the largest gain due to continued hurricane reconstruction efforts
NEW YORK, February 2, 2006 - The Monster Employment Index soared to a new all-time high in January, as a majority of industries, occupations, and all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions registered higher levels of online job availability during the month. The Index jumped six points, from 145 in December to 151 in January, rebounding strongly from a seasonal slowdown during the final month of last year and mirroring a similar trend seen at the beginning of the previous two years.
Sharply increased demand for white-collar workers in business and financial; IT; legal; and office and administrative support helped drive the Index higher during January. Online job availability in the accommodation and food services; transportation and warehousing; and educational services also showed solid growth. In addition, online demand for protective service (security and law enforcement) and military specific (including aerospace and defense) occupations rose to new all-time highs in January after dipping in November and December. The Index's overall results for the past 13 months are as follows:
Jan. 06 Dec. 05 Nov. 05 Oct. 05 Sept. 05 Aug. 05 Jul. 05 Jun. 05 May 05 Apr. 05 Mar. 05 Feb. 05 Jan. 05
151 145 149 143 140 142 134 136 134 131 130 122 120
"Online recruitment activity as measured by the Monster Employment Index accelerated sharply in January, reflecting the underlying strength and positive momentum of the job market and providing an encouraging sign that the U.S. labor market is continuing to expand as we begin 2006," said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "The Index's eight-point increase over the past three months strongly suggests that employers are continuing to hire new workers so they can further grow their businesses in the New Year."
Accommodation and Food Services; and Transportation and Warehousing Industries Show Higher Demand for Workers in January
The accommodation and food services industry showed sharply higher online demand for workers in January, continuing the strong growth registered during December, likely due to sustained strength in the U.S. hotel industry and efforts to support the busy winter travel and tourism season. Overall, online job demand for workers rose in 12 of 20 industries during January, with strong growth measured in:
" Transportation and warehousing, which continued a three-month upward trend since October, suggesting growing demand for workers in the trucking and logistics sectors;
" Manufacturing, which, despite recent layoffs in the automotive sector, saw recruitment activity pick up again in January, possibly due to an up-tick in the goods-producing sector; and
" Educational services, which saw online job availability surge last month, continuing a two-month growth trend.
Online Demand for White-collar Workers Surges in January, Suggesting Strong Upward Momentum for Providers of Business Services
Online job demand for white-collar workers across a range of occupations rose strongly in January, indicating greater optimism within the corporate sector and a tightening job market for corporate professionals. Occupational categories showing a significant increase in online opportunities during the past month include legal; management; business and financial; computer and mathematical (IT); and office and administrative support. Overall online demand for workers rose in 22 of 24 occupational categories in January, indicating a widespread recovery in online job availability across a majority of positions. Particularly strong growth was noted in the following occupations:
" Construction, which bounced back from a dip in December, showing a sharp increase in online job availability for workers;
" Military Specific, which surged to an all-time high, likely due to heightened government hiring needs as well as a surge in new orders seen in the aerospace and defense industries; and
" Personal care and service, which saw a sharp rise in demand for workers, extending a three-month upward growth trend.
West South Central Region Registers Sharpest Rate of Increase in January, Likely Due to Continued Gulf Coast Reconstruction Efforts
Online job demand for workers increased in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in January, indicating broad growth in online job demand during the month. The West South Central region registered the sharpest rate of growth as Louisiana continued, for yet another month, to struggle with broad hiring needs for renovation, reconstruction and repair work in the New Orleans area. Forty-six U.S. states and the District of Columbia saw increases of varying degrees during January, with Alaska, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas among those registering the greatest gains.
To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for January 2006, including all charts and tables, please visit http://www.monsterworldwide.com/Press_Room/MEI.html. Data for the month of February 2006 will be released on March 9, 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%.
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 and the NASDAQ-100 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.
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:
David Rosa
(212) 351-7067
david.rosa[at]monsterworldwide.com
Media Inquiries:
Christian Harper
Weber Shandwick
(212) 445-8135
charper[at]webershandwick.com
Lauren McDonald
Weber Shandwick
(617) 520-7116
lmcdonald[at]webershandwick.com