The Monster Employment Index edged up one point in October, indicating a mild pick-up in online recruitment activity at the onset of the fourth quarter. Year–on-year the index is now down 20 percent which is the most moderate annual rate of decline since October 2008.

The Monster Employment Index 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 corporate career Web sites and job boards, including Monster.com®.

During October, online job availability rose in seven of the Index’s 20 industry sectors and in 10 of the 23 occupational categories monitored. Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:

“The rise in the October Index, along with an improvement in the annual rate, indicate a mild expansion in the underlying employer demand for workers,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “While the decline in consumer confidence has likely contributed to reduced job demand in the retail and hospitality sectors, employers are actively recruiting in the healthcare and public sectors, resulting in stability of the overall Index.”

Healthcare and Social Assistance Registers Largest Monthly Gain in Online Job Demand in October

Online job demand in the health care and social assistance industry registered the highest rate of increase in October amid strong job posting growth among both practitioners/technical and support occupations. The public administration sector also noted a jump in recruiting activity, while mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; and utilities experienced modest gains in October.

In contrast, the retail sales industry experienced an uncharacteristic dip for the second consecutive month in October, indicating sluggish seasonal hiring among retailers for this year’s holiday period. Arts/entertainment; accommodation and food services; and real estate also edged lower on the month.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the only industry category showing greater online job availability compared to a year ago.

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations See Greatest Increase in Online Job Availability in October

Amid rising needs for health services, healthcare practitioners and technical; and healthcare support occupations registered increases in October, indicating a bounce-back in demand for health services workers following reduced demand in the previous two quarters.

Demand for protective service occupations also rose in October, while community and social services; and military specific edged higher contributing to the growth of the public administration industry as a whole.

Meanwhile, opportunities in the food preparation and serving category fell, indicating that the hospitality industry maybe pessimistic about end-of-year conditions.

On an annual basis, farming, fishing and forestry remains the only occupational category to exhibit greater demand than a year ago.

Online Job Availability Increases in Eight of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in October

Online job demand increased in all U.S. Census Bureau regions except West South Central in October. Mid-Atlantic registered the highest monthly increase since December 2008, mainly due to the rise in online job availability in Pennsylvania.

Year-over-year, East South Central and South Atlantic experienced the most modest rate of decline unlike Pacific, where recruitment activity slowed considerably.

Five of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Increases in October; 8 Remain Flat

During October, online recruitment activity increased in eight of the 28 U.S. metro areas monitored by the Index, with Baltimore, Cincinnati and Detroit registering the largest gains. Baltimore edged up in October due to increase in demand for life, physical, and social science occupations as well as solid hiring trends in the military specific category, while the rise in Cincinnati was led by increased demand in the business and financial operations category.

Meanwhile, Boston and Washington, D.C. declined, following two months of growth due to reduced demand in the education, training and library sector.

On a year-over-year basis, Tampa and Sacramento saw the most moderate rate of decline, while Philadelphia and Cincinnati continue to show the steepest declines.

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for October 2009, 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 November 2009 will be released on December 3, 2009.

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. 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 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/.

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