Majority of US Metro Markets Show Modest Seasonal Slowdown in Online Job Demand in December

- Online Job Availability for Production; Sales; and Construction Workers Declines across Most Markets as Manufacturing Struggles, and Winter Season Begins

- Only Miami Shows Higher Demand for Workers in December, While Detroit and Denver Register Sharpest Drop-off in Online Job Opportunities

Reflecting a year-end seasonal slowdown in recruitment activity, overall online job demand declined in 21 of the top 28 U.S. metropolitan areas in December, according to the latest findings of the Monster Local Employment Index.

The majority of markets tracked by the Index saw a moderate dip of one-to-three points during the past month, yet ended the year at higher levels than at the inception of the Index in May. Six markets - Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Portland and San Francisco - defied the general end-of-year slowdown and remained unchanged from their elevated levels in November, demonstrating continued strength in local online recruitment. The Detroit and Denver metro areas registered the greatest rate of decline during the month, plunging six and five points respectively, while Miami was the only market that saw online job availability rise in December, edging up two points.

Production; sales; and construction-related occupations all saw a broad slowdown in online recruitment across markets as the manufacturing sector continued to struggle and winter weather set in throughout much of the country. Demand for installation, maintenance and repair also fell in most markets, except in Miami, which saw a sharp rise in online opportunities, likely spurred by continued reconstruction and repair efforts following Hurricane Wilma.

Fifteen markets showed fewer online opportunities for workers in production occupations in December. In addition to a seasonal slump in active recruiting, hardship in the labor-intensive automotive industry has contributed to weaker demand for manufacturing workers, illustrated by the sharp drop in the Detroit Index.

Demand for workers in construction and extraction also declined in 18 local markets. Whereas most metro areas have seen relatively moderate growth in online recruitment demand for construction-related jobs, San Diego, which surged another two points in December, has skyrocketed, suggesting that the housing boom is still creating job opportunities in southern California.

In contrast, online job availability for workers in education, training and library occupations rose in 18 markets, likely due in part to academic institutionsí efforts to fill spring-semester openings for teachers, librarians and other staff. San Diego, Indianapolis and Dallas saw the largest rate of growth for this category, while only Detroit retracted significantly. Online demand for workers in protective service also increased in a majority of the markets tracked.

The December findings of the Monster Local Employment Index show the same moderate seasonal slowdown in online hiring as the national Index findings released earlier this month, said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. After registering sharp gains in October and November, online job availability in most major cities eased back last month, as business activity wound down around the year-end holidays. Nevertheless, most metro markets ended 2005 with higher levels of online demand compared to the summer, suggesting steadily improving local hiring climates in the countryís largest metropolitan areas. In fact, only Cleveland has failed to exhibit any growth in online job availability since the Indexís inception in May of last year.

According to the Index, Phoenix remains the fastest-growing metro area in terms of online job demand over the past eight months, having added 11 points since June. San Diego (up nine points since May) and Seattle (up eight points since May) have also shown strong growth in online job availability during the second half of 2005. All three markets have seen noticeably higher demand for IT and engineering professionals.