Monster Employment Index U.S. Grows 7% Year-Over-Year

September Index Year-over-Year and Month-over-Month Growth (Graphic: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--()--Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW)

September 2011 Index Highlights:

  • Monster Employment Index U.S. continues positive annual growth trend at 7% in September
  • Index rises slightly in September from August, in line with seasonal trends
  • All metro markets tracked by the Index exhibit positive annual growth
  • Commerce-related retail and wholesale trade sectors continue to exhibit robust growth
  • Public administration registers steepest annual decline, dropping 29% year-over-year, its lowest level in the Index

The Monster Employment Index U.S. is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job demand 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.

“The Index maintained its positive annual growth, driven by continued pace of recruitment activity across a wide range of sectors. Particularly strong were retail, which typically sees some pick-up in September, and IT, which saw an acceleration in demand for software and telecommunications specialists,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “Meanwhile, public administration continues to weigh down the overall Index with its steepest year-over-year decline.”

Monster Employment Index U.S. results for the past 18 months are as follows:

Apr
10

 

May
10

 

Jun
10

 

Jul
10

 

Aug
10

 

Sep
10

 

Oct
10

 

Nov
10

 

Dec
10

 

Jan
11

 

Feb
11

 

Mar
11

 

Apr
11

 

May
11

 

Jun
11

 

Jul
11

 

Aug
11

 

Sep
11

  Y-O-Y  
133   134   141   138   136   138   136   134   130   122   129   136   145   143   146   144   147   148   7%  

Industry Year-over-year Trends: 15 of the 20 industries monitored by the Index showed positive annual growth trends.

  • Information (up 36 percent) saw robust month-over-month and annual growth driven by ongoing demand for professionals in software, digital media, and telecommunications
  • Retail Trade (up 21 percent) and Wholesale Trade (up 18 percent) exhibited strong online recruitment levels in-line with seasonal expectations
  • Finance and insurance (up 12 percent) edged up amidst rising demand for a number of professionals, including loan officers, auditors, computer specialists, and financial clerks
  • Public Administration (down 29 percent) recorded the steepest decline in September, dropping to its lowest level in the Index

Top Growth Industries

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Mining, Quarrying, Oil and Gas
Extraction

  191   281   47%
Information   80   109   36%
Transportation and Warehousing   154   198   29%
Retail Trade   141   170   21%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and
Hunting

  177   213   20%
     

Lowest Growth Industries

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation   41   41   0%
Health Care and Social Assistance   110   108   -2%

Management of Companies and
Enterprises

  117   110   -6%
Accommodation and Food Services   105   96   -9%
Public Administration   204   144   -29%
     

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

  • Personal care and service (up 54 percent) recorded the highest growth in September
  • Computer and Mathematical (up 25 percent) recorded strong growth in September as reflected by growth in the broader Information sector
  • Protective Service (down 28 percent) continued to record the weakest long-term trend among occupations

Top Growth Occupations

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Personal Care and Service   48   74   54%

Transportation and Material
Moving

  99   133   34%
Architecture and Engineering   88   117   33%
Computer and Mathematical   102   128   25%

Installation, Maintenance, and
Repair

  144   169   17%
     

Lowest Growth Occupations

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Education, Training, and Library   123   125   2%
Management   144   143   -1%
Military Specific   160   158   -1%
Food Preparation and Serving   110   102   -7%
Protective Service   90   65   -28%
     

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

  • Cleveland (up 35 percent) replaced Detroit as top growth market with emerging demand for healthcare support, office and administrative, and transportation and material moving
  • New York City (up 2 percent) exhibited the slowest growth amidst markets, with reduced demand for business and financial operations, management, and life, physical, and social sciences. Demand for engineering jobs remained strong

Top Growth Metro Markets

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Cleveland   99   134   35%
Detroit   97   126   30%
Minneapolis   95   120   26%
Indianapolis   89   112   26%
Orlando   56   70   25%
     

Lowest Growth Metro Markets

Year-over-year Growth  

Sep
10

 

Sep
11

 

% Growth
Y-o-y

Miami   74   81   9%
Tampa   82   89   9%
Boston   81   87   7%
Los Angeles   69   74   7%
New York City   84   86   2%
     

International Trends:

  • Monster Employment Index Europe registered an 18 percent annual growth rate in September. The engineering sector saw the largest year-over-year growth while opportunities in industrial production and related sectors continued to be among top growth sectors. Germany continued to lead all countries in annual growth
  • Monster Employment Index India recorded a 14 percent increase year-over-year in August. Media and entertainment led all industrial sectors, while the consumer-driven travel/ tourism and retail also recorded robust annual growth

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index U.S. report for September 2011, and to access current individual data charts for each of the 28 metro markets tracked, please visit http://about-monster.com/employment-index. Data for the month of October 2011 will be released on November 4, 2011.

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 demand 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), 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. 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/.

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, 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.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50021337&lang=en

Contacts

General Information:
Monster Worldwide
Deepika Murty, 978-461-8765
Deepika.Murty@monster.com
or
Media Inquiries:
Monster Worldwide
Matthew Henson, 978-823-2627
Matthew.Henson@monster.com

Release Summary

Monster Employment Index U.S. continues positive annual growth trend at 7% in September. Index rises slightly in September from August, in line with seasonal trends

Contacts

General Information:
Monster Worldwide
Deepika Murty, 978-461-8765
Deepika.Murty@monster.com
or
Media Inquiries:
Monster Worldwide
Matthew Henson, 978-823-2627
Matthew.Henson@monster.com