European Online Recruitment Registers Annual Growth of 8%, According to the Monster Employment Index

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 6, 2012– Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW):

March 2012 Index Highlights:

• The Monster Employment Index Europe demonstrates a year-over-year growth of eight percent in March, compared to the ten percent registered in February
• Germany continues to register double digit annual growth at 23 percent, albeit at a decelerated pace compared to the 28 percent growth in February
• While UK and Sweden demonstrate improved growth year-over-year at 8 percent and 2 percent respectively, Belgium (down 12 percent) and The Netherlands (down 20 percent) further decelerate into negative category
• Telecommunication matches Environment, architecture, urbanism by measure of annual growth to lead all industries in March. Public sector, defence, community (down 11 percent), tracks the largest annual decline in online recruitment activity
• IT registers increased annual growth in March with notable upward momentum amongst the professional services segment

The Monster Employment Index Europe is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity 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 across Europe. 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.

„While overall online recruitment remains positive with the Index exhibiting both month-over-month and annual growth, this is combated by a broader deceleration across key markets and industries.“ commented Alan Townsend, Vice President of Sales Readiness and Business Operations for Monster Europe. „However, from an occupational standpoint, growth remains strong across the technical and associate level positions, which suggests a hiring of support workers to meet the more immediate business needs.“

 

Monster Employment Index Europe results for the past 18 months are as follows:

Oct 10		Nov 10		Dec 10		Jan 11		Feb 11		Mar 11		Apr 11		May 11		Jun 11		Jul 11		Aug 11		Sep 11		Oct 11		Nov 11		Dec 11		Jan 12		Feb 12		Mar 12		Y-O-Y GROWTH
122		122		122		116		125		131		136		135		140		139		139		138		139		139		136		127		138		142		8%

Industry Year-over-year Trends: 20 of the 24 industry sectors monitored by the Index in March exhibited positive annual growth trends.

• Telecommunication (up 19 percent) matched Environment, architecture and urbanism (up 19 percent) by measure of annual growth, where recruitment opportunities for Telecommunication were strongest across sales, operations, and technical positions
• Engineering (up 14 percent), previously a leading sector in the Index, registered a further downshift in annual growth pace and placed third this month
• Education, training and library (up 11 percent) demonstrated notable annual growth in March and placed fourth, unexpected given the season
• Of all the professional service sectors, IT (up nine percent) was the only industry to register further growth in online recruitment year-over-year
• Public sector, defence, community (down 11 percent) registered a further reduction in online recruitment activity compared to a year ago and was joined by Legal (down one percent) and Management and consulting (down one percent) as the only other industries to register annual declines

Top Growth Industries								Lowest Growth Industries
Industry		Mar 11		Mar 12		% Y-O-Y Growth		Industry		Mar 11		Mar 12		% Y-O-Y Growth
Telecommunication		99		118		19%		Marketing, PR and media		144		146		1%
Environment, architecture and urbanism		95		113		19%		Banking, finance, insurance		88		88		0%
Engineering		152		173		14%		Legal		121		120		-1%
Education, training and library		200		221		11%		Management and consulting		113		112		-1%
Production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair		238		262		10%		Public sector, defence, community		87		77		-11%

Occupation Year-over-year Trends: All nine occupational groups monitored by the Index in March continued to exhibit positive growth trends for the third consecutive month.

• Craft and related trades (up 15 percent) maintained its lead in the Index despite a further reduction in its rate of annual growth, a trend mirrored across the production and construction sectors
• Technicians and associate professionals (up ten percent) maintained second place position in the Index for the second consecutive month, despite a slightly moderated rate of annual growth
• Elementary (up one percent) noted a significant reduction in online recruitment activity compared to a year ago, placing second from bottom in the Index

Top Growth Occupations								Lowest Growth Occupations
Occupation		Mar 11		Mar 12		% Y-O-Y Growth		Occupation		Mar 11		Mar 12		% Y-O-Y Growth
Craft and related trades workers		206		236		15%		Plant and machine operators, and assemblers		119		126		6%
Technicians and associate professionals		122		134		10%		Elementary occupations		178		180		1%
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers		189		206		9%		Managers		115		116		1%

The full monthly Monster Employment Index reports for Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom will be made available on Tuesday, 10 April at 06:00 CET at: http://aboutmonster.com/employment/index/17.

Data for the month of April 2012 will be released on May 4, 2012.

By Region

Region		Mar 11		Apr 11		May 11		Jun 11		Jul 11		Aug 11		Sep 11		Oct 11		Nov 11		Dec 11		Jan 12		Feb 12		Mar 12		Y-O-Y GROWTH
Belgium		120		125		119		118		113		109		102		107		102		101		98		107		106		-12%
France		138		146		144		150		148		139		132		139		136		132		123		130		134		-3%
Germany		151		159		158		164		166		172		175		171		175		177		173		178		185		23%
Italy		145		147		145		142		148		140		132		143		146		141		128		137		143		-1%
Netherlands		95		97		98		97		96		92		88		89		86		86		81		81		76		-20%
Sweden		161		167		170		161		149		146		149		148		150		158		143		154		165		2%
United Kingdom		137		138		136		141		140		138		135		140		140		141		129		145		148		8%

By Industry

Industry		Mar 11		Apr 11		May 11		Jun 11		Jul 11		Aug 11		Sep 11		Oct 11		Nov 11		Dec 11		Jan 12		Feb 12		Mar 12		Y-O-Y GROWTH
Accounting, audit, taxes		99		102		101		102		101		98		97		99		99		98		93		100		101		2%
Administrative, organisation		107		107		108		112		109		112		110		111		111		111		104		112		113		6%
Agriculture, fishing and forestry		125		131		130		140		134		133		130		124		123		117		104		121		133		6%
Arts, entertainment, sports, leisure		111		112		113		119		116		113		107		108		110		109		102		110		114		3%
Automotive		117		122		125		135		126		132		128		124		124		114		109		127		128		9%
Banking, finance, insurance		88		91		88		86		89		88		86		87		87		87		82		86		88		0%
Construction and extraction		129		134		135		141		140		144		142		138		137		130		122		132		136		5%
Education, training and library		200		215		218		233		218		208		191		205		202		218		191		214		221		11%
Engineering		152		163		157		161		164		167		168		170		172		172		158		169		173		14%
Environment, architecture and urbanism		95		102		96		103		102		102		101		102		103		107		100		111		113		19%
Healthcare, social work		635		628		623		640		633		624		625		594		628		613		573		635		653		3%
Hospitality and tourism		243		257		257		256		244		247		256		252		251		238		221		242		251		3%
HR		93		95		95		96		95		95		94		94		94		94		91		96		97		4%
IT		100		101		100		104		103		101		99		101		103		102		97		105		109		9%
Legal		121		121		118		119		117		117		114		116		118		112		111		117		120		-1%
Management and consulting		113		115		111		115		114		114		112		110		108		104		97		106		112		-1%
Marketing, PR and media		144		149		143		149		147		148		143		146		143		139		129		144		146		1%
Production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair		238		251		248		259		264		269		271		270		267		259		243		253		262		10%
Public sector, defence, community		87		84		82		83		81		81		80		81		80		75		75		77		77		-11%
Real estate		122		130		126		123		121		120		118		125		124		121		121		123		128		5%
Research and development		118		122		121		123		121		120		119		119		119		117		113		121		123		4%
Sales		107		108		107		112		110		109		108		111		111		107		102		110		110		3%
Telecommunications		99		112		113		102		105		109		109		114		114		109		102		114		118		19%
Transport, post and logistics		162		176		182		190		195		193		195		196		195		192		169		173		176		9%

By Occupation

Occupation		Mar 11		Apr 11		May 11		Jun 11		Jul 11		Aug 11		Sep 11		Oct 11		Nov 11		Dec 11		Jan 12		Feb 12		Mar 12		Y-O-Y GROWTH
Managers		115		117		113		118		118		115		111		113		108		112		101		114		116		1%
Professionals		131		136		133		137		137		136		134		135		136		133		124		135		139		6%
Technicians and associate professionals		122		123		126		127		124		125		124		126		127		125		118		131		134		10%
Clerical support workers		138		142		143		146		144		147		143		145		144		144		132		147		149		8%
Service and sales workers		286		301		298		311		300		297		303		303		304		288		265		298		307		7%
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers		189		200		196		220		208		205		203		194		191		184		160		185		206		9%
Craft and related workers		206		220		221		230		236		242		246		245		247		238		222		231		236		15%
Plant and machine operators, and assemblers		119		124		122		129		125		124		122		122		113		116		107		120		126		6%
Elementary occupations		178		187		180		194		195		202		203		195		196		182		175		180		180		1%

About The Monster Employment Index Europe

The Monster Employment Index Europe provides monthly insight into online job posting activity across the European Union. Launched in June 2005 with data from December 2004, the Index is based on a 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’s underlying data is validated for accuracy by Research America, Inc. – an independent, third-party auditing firm – to ensure that measured national online job recruitment activity is within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%.

The Index monitors online job opportunities across all European Union member countries.

The monthly reports for Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Europe are available at: http://about-monster.com/employment/index/17.

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 http://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.

Source: Monster Worldwide