Monster Employment Index U.S. Rises 9% on Annual Basis, But Decelerating Due To Seasonality and Market Conditions

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

January 2012 Index Highlights:

• Monster Employment Index U.S. shows annual growth of 9 percent in January, in line with the pace seen during Q4 2011
• Index edges down 5 percent on monthly basis as online recruitment is characteristically muted during early portion of January following the holiday season
• Transportation and warehousing, retail and wholesale remain strong growth markets generally maintaining steady trends
• Public administration remains the weakest trending sector and is the only industry to register negative annual growth. Manufacturing eases, recording single-digit growth for the first time since February 2011
• All metro markets tracked by the Index continue to exhibit positive annual growth with markets in the Northeast recording accelerated growth trends

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.

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

Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Y-O-Y
10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	12
136	138	136	134	130	122	129	136	145	143	146	144	147	148	151	147	140	133	9%

Industry Year-over-year Trends: 17 of the 20 industries monitored by the Index showed positive annual growth trends.

• Transportation and Warehousing (up 31 percent) continued to extend its robust annual growth trend from December but eased month-over-month in line with the usual seasonal patterns recorded after the holiday season

• Retail trade (up 18 percent) drove growth momentum within the trade sectors with continued hiring for computer specialists and business operations occupations
• Wholesale Trade (up 18 percent) continued to remain amidst the top growth sectors despite a slightly eased pace from December, with gains in demand for engineering and HR occupations
• Manufacturing (up 6 percent) eased more than seasonally expected recording single-digit growth for the first time in 11 months

• Public Administration (down 8 percent) continued to record the steepest decline among industries in January

Top Growth Industries
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting	177	235	33%
Transportation and Warehousing	143	188	31%
Mining, Quarrying, Oil, Gas Extraction	211	256	21%
Retail Trade	132	156	18%
Wholesale Trade	138	163	18%

Lowest Growth Industries
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Manufacturing	85	90	6%
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	35	36	3%
Educational Services	77	77	0%
Utilities	122	122	0%
Public Administration	142	131	-8%

Occupation Year-over-year Trends: Annual online demand for workers rose in 22 of 23 occupational categories in January.

• Transportation and Material Moving (up 35 percent) registered the highest annual growth in January, in line with the expansion recorded for the transportation and warehousing sector
• Legal (up 23 percent in January from 18 percent in December) continued to record an accelerated growth trend
• Computer and Mathematical (up 16 percent) recorded an eased pace of growth from the 23 percent recorded in December, much like the trend recorded within the broader information sector
• Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media (down 1 percent) was the only occupation to record negative annual growth

Top Growth Occupations
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Transportation and Material Moving	91	123	35%
Personal Care and Service	51	68	33%
Food Preparation and Serving	79	100	27%
Building, Grounds Cleaning, Maintenance	94	116	23%
Legal	87	107	23%

Lowest Growth Occupations
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Production	113	119	5%
Military Specific	137	141	3%
Education, Training, and Library	108	111	3%
Business and Financial Operations	140	142	1%
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media	89	88	-1%

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

• Atlanta (up 27 percent) recorded an ongoing gain in recruitment for education and healthcare occupations. Business and financial activities, sales, and construction also registered strong recruitment for this time of year

• Markets in the Northeast – Pittsburgh (up 27 percent), Philadelphia (up 20 percent), Boston (up 13 percent) and New York (up 10 percent) – recorded substantially improved growth rates, driven by greater demand for occupations like the sciences, healthcare practitioners, construction, and transportation

• Los Angeles (up 10 percent) continued to remain amidst the weakest growing markets. Other California markets - Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco noted moderate acceleration in demand. Online recruitment for the sciences, food preparation, and sales improved across these markets.

Top Growth Metro Markets
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Orlando	46	60	30%
Cincinnati	67	86	28%
Atlanta	77	98	27%
Kansas City	74	94	27%
Pittsburgh	126	160	27%

Lowest Growth Metro Markets
Year-over-year Growth	Jan	Jan	% Growth
	11	12	Y-O-Y
Los Angeles	59	65	10%
Denver	91	100	10%
New York City	71	78	10%
Phoenix	66	72	9%
Seattle	100	109	9%

International Trends:

• Monster Employment Index Europe recorded year-over-year growth of 9 percent in January. Germany continued to lead all countries in annual growth, although at a slower rate of 30 percent. Engineering and production were the top two growth industries, each registering annual growth of 22 percent. Online opportunities in management and the public sector record steepest declines
• Monster Employment Index India recorded a 3 percent increase year-over-year in December. Agro-based industries followed by real estate led all industry sectors in annual growth. Logistics and transportation recorded the largest decline

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index U.S. report for January 2012, 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 February will be released on March 9, 2012.

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 - News), parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve 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. 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.

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