March 2007 Monster Local Employment Index Highlights:
-- Online demand for workers increases in a majority of the
largest U.S. cities amid the height of spring hiring season
-- Houston continues to demonstrate the highest rate of growth
among the 28 metro markets
-- St. Louis registers sharp gain in online recruitment activity
for second consecutive month
-- Los Angeles extends two-month growth trend due to higher
demand for healthcare and legal occupations
-- Portland edges up on greater online job demand for IT
occupations, while Cincinnati declines despite continued
strength in computer and technology
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2007--Online job availability
rose in 26 of the top 28 U.S. metro markets in March, reflecting a
nationwide increase in online recruitment activity at the height of
the spring hiring season, according to the latest findings of the
Monster Local Employment Index. The Index is based on a real-time
review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than
1,500 different Web sites, including Monster(R).
"The March findings of the Monster Local Employment Index
illustrate a solid pick-up in online recruiting in major U.S. cities
in the final month of the first quarter," said Steve Pogorzelski,
Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. "Many of these
same metro areas have recently seen their unemployment rates dip
lower, suggesting a further tightening in their respective labor
markets. However, according to recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), a majority of top U.S. cities are also experiencing a
deceleration in job creation, providing further evidence that the
broader U.S. labor market continues to show a more moderate growth
pace compared to last year, while still exhibiting signs of underlying
stability," added Pogorzelski.
The St. Louis metro area rose for a second consecutive month in
March, registering the largest monthly increase, posting an
eight-point surge in online recruitment activity. As a result, St.
Louis was the Index's top growth market during the first quarter of
2007, and is second only to Houston in terms of year-over-year growth.
Demand for business and financial operations; and office and
administrative support positions in particular is higher in St. Louis
than a year ago, as favorable business costs and high office vacancy
rates continue to draw new businesses to the metro area. The service
industry is also creating new job opportunities, with food preparation
and serving; education, training and library; and community and social
services occupations at the top of the fastest-growing occupations.
These findings mirror recent reports from the BLS showing that the top
industries for job growth in St. Louis include leisure and
hospitality; and government.
Online recruitment activity in Los Angeles also rose sharply for
the second consecutive month, fueled by greater demand for workers in
healthcare and legal occupations. The five-point increase in March
places the Index for Los Angeles at its highest annual growth pace
since September 2006.
Los Angeles was the Index's top growth market for healthcare
practitioners and technical workers during the month of March and has
seen the strongest rate of growth over the past year. Demand for
healthcare support occupations has shown significant growth over the
year as well. In recent months, online opportunities for legal
occupations have picked up sharply in Los Angeles and elsewhere around
the country, as some of the largest firms continue to accelerate their
recruitment of summer associates amid a shrinking pool of law school
talent. Online opportunities in personal care and services also
expanded in the L.A. area in March, while the sales related category
remains remarkably flat over the year.
Houston remains by far the fastest-growing metro area in terms of
online job availability among the 28 markets tracked by the Index. The
Index for Houston added four points in March, and now stands 19 points
higher than a year ago. Protective service; food preparation and
serving; and healthcare support occupations registered the largest
gains in Houston between February and March. Over the past 12 months,
construction and extraction has been among Houston's top growth
categories. Demand for workers in the category has been driven by the
area's rebounding energy sector, as well as strong demand for
residential and commercial real estate amid solid population growth
and continued post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction. Opportunities for
workers in office and administrative support have also risen sharply
while military specific positions have declined compared to a year
ago.
The Portland area also saw online job availability climb last
month, largely due to a significant jump in demand for IT
professionals. These findings mirror recent BLS data that show
Portland's information industry expanded at a pace well above the
national average. Over the month, the protective services; food
preparation and serving; and healthcare support occupational
categories for Portland registered the largest increases.
Overall online job availability in Cincinnati declined between
February and March, as lower demand in several occupational categories
offset strong demand for IT workers. Business and financial
operations; and education, training and library registered the
sharpest decreases in online job availability. Despite the overall dip
last month, the Cincinnati market has largely maintained its annual
growth pace due to strong demand for workers in information
technology, food services and public administration.
For the top 28 metro markets combined, the farming, fishing and
forestry category increased the most, both month-to-month and
year-over-year. Online opportunities for healthcare support positions
also rose sharply. With the exception of business and financial
operations, which remained flat, all other occupational categories
edged up by varying degrees over the month. Online job availability in
the architecture and engineering; and military-specific categories
remains lower than a year ago.
Overall results for the top 28 U.S. metro markets over the past 13
months are as follows:
MAR FEB JAN DEC NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR
07 07 07 06 06 06 06 06 06 06 06 06 06
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlanta 115 113 106 109 110 111 110 108 106 106 106 106 105
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Baltimore 106 105 101 105 106 107 106 107 102 103 103 104 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston 105 104 102 103 105 108 107 107 100 104 106 104 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago 110 109 102 105 109 110 108 107 104 105 106 105 104
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cincinnati 106 108 103 105 108 106 106 105 106 105 109 105 101
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland 115 113 106 110 113 113 108 109 105 106 107 108 104
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dallas 118 114 108 107 111 110 110 109 107 107 108 107 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Denver 113 108 104 108 112 112 112 113 109 106 109 109 107
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Detroit 108 108 103 106 110 109 108 108 104 104 106 105 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Houston 126 122 115 117 120 120 117 115 112 111 112 110 107
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Indianapolis 109 108 103 104 109 108 108 107 107 105 106 109 105
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kansas City 113 111 108 110 114 114 113 111 106 107 109 107 104
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles 115 110 103 103 104 105 104 101 104 102 104 104 105
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami 111 108 104 105 107 108 106 105 103 105 106 106 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Minneapolis 112 110 108 110 114 116 113 111 109 109 108 107 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
New York City 109 108 103 104 108 108 106 106 102 104 106 106 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Orlando 108 106 102 103 107 106 105 105 103 101 103 103 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Philadelphia 108 104 103 104 107 106 105 105 102 101 103 103 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix 111 106 105 105 110 110 111 112 110 111 113 109 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 112 108 105 105 109 109 106 106 103 102 103 103 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Portland 114 109 105 105 111 113 112 115 107 108 110 106 102
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacramento 111 108 102 105 108 109 106 109 105 103 106 109 108
----------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego 109 106 103 106 110 111 110 115 107 106 107 106 105
----------------------------------------------------------------------
San Francisco 112 111 107 107 111 111 109 110 105 105 106 106 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Seattle 112 110 106 108 111 113 112 115 109 109 110 108 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Louis 121 113 106 104 108 111 109 108 105 108 107 107 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tampa 107 105 101 100 103 104 103 106 104 104 106 106 106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington, D.C. 106 102 100 101 104 106 106 106 101 100 102 102 103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The April results of the Monster Local Employment Index will be
released on May 17, 2007.
About the Monster Local Employment Index
Providing a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job
demand in the top 28 U.S. metro markets, the Monster Local Employment
Index is an extension of the national Monster Employment Index, which
is compiled each month by researchers at Monster Worldwide, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MNST), parent company of the leading global online career and
recruitment resource, Monster(R). Based on a real-time review of
millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web
sites, including Monster(R), the Monster Local Employment Index
presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity in the top
28 U.S. markets with the largest working populations.
The Index counts job postings as an indicator of employer demand
for employees or, in other words, job availability. Job postings are
online advertisements placed by an employer looking to fill one or
more vacant, or recently created, job positions. All of the data and
findings have been validated for accuracy through independent, monthly
third party auditing conducted by ARC Research of Cranford, New
Jersey. Individual Index reports containing data for each of the 28
metro markets, as well as additional information on occupational
demand in each area, are now available at
http://LocaleIndex.monsterworldwide.com.
About Monster Worldwide
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST) parent company of
Monster(R), 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 and the NASDAQ 100.
To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services,
visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is
available at www.monsterworldwide.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.
CONTACT: Monster Worldwide
Kathryn Burns, 212-351-7063
[email protected]
or
Weber Shandwick
Lauren McDonald, 617-520-7116
[email protected]
SOURCE: Monster Worldwide, Inc.