Monster Employment Index Continues Rise in 2005 in February

- Increased Online Job Availability Across All Index Categories

- Strong Recruiting Activity Indicates More Opportunities for Jobseekers

The Monster Employment Index rose in February to yet another record high, indicating consistent growth in U.S. online job demand and online job recruitment activity. The overall Index increased two points from 120 in January 2005 to 122 in February, the highest level since the Index’s inception and well above its February 2004 level of 95.

The Monster Employment Index measured increases in online job availability across all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in February, indicating increased recruitment activity throughout the country.

Seventeen of the 20 industries tracked by the Monster Employment Index rose in February, suggesting increased hiring activity across a wide spectrum of companies. Financial services recorded another all-time high, indicating continued strength in job availability within that industry, while manufacturing showed the highest year-over-year growth. Public administration also was up sharply, which may be driven by increased recruitment activity of healthcare practitioners at Veterans Affairs Hospitals and by increased Trade and Labor postings. Utilities showed a strong one-month increase, likely spurred by rising demand for support workers. The construction industry also rose for the fifth consecutive month showing continued demand for support positions such as sales, finance, engineers, technicians and designers. Educational services and professional, scientific and technical were the only industries that registered slight decreases in online job demand in February, while wholesale trade remained essentially flat.

The Monster Employment Index’s record level in February is consistent with other employment data, such as the recent four-year low in weekly jobless claims, that suggests continued increased recruitment activity said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster. Increased job availability within a majority of the industries we track, as well as across a broad spectrum of white collar and blue collar occupational categories, is encouraging news for people seeking to find work and those looking to change jobs. At Monster, we are experiencing increased levels of seeker activity, some of which may be attributed to employed people switching jobs. While this ’turnover activity’ has raised some concerns among employers, it is indicative of an active labor market and corresponds with the Index’s findings.

Online demand for workers increased in 20 of 23 occupational categories during the month of February. Management; business & financial operations; construction & extraction; education, training & library; food preparation & serving; and healthcare practitioners & technical were among those that registered sharp month-to-month gains. With the exception of personal care & service and healthcare practitioners & technical, all categories were higher compared with the prior year period, indicating continued growth in job availability across a diverse spectrum of occupations.

Business & Financial Among Hot Occupations, Signifying Demand for Tax Season
In anticipation of the upcoming tax season, online demand for business & financial occupations increased again in February, a trend that is likely to continue. Legal occupations also rose for the second consecutive month, indicating continued demand for paralegal and legal assistant-level support staff. Online job demand for blue collar occupations also saw a sharp up-tick during the month, with building/grounds cleaning & maintenance and installation, maintenance, and repair registering strong increases and likely reflecting a desire by employers to prepare for upcoming needs as the Spring/Summer season approaches. Healthcare support and military specific were the only occupation categories that saw slight declines in February, while the arts, design, entertainment, sports and media category remained unchanged.

Online Job Demand Rises Across All U.S. Regions in February
Online job demand for workers rose in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in February and all regions remained at very high levels when compared year over year. Nearly all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia saw increases; only Nebraska and Delaware remained essentially flat. States that saw the greatest rate of month-to-month increases included Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana and Vermont.

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