Monster Employment Index Rises to All-Time High in November

The Monster Employment Index rose in November to its highest level since its inception, indicating further stepwise growth in online job demand and online job recruitment activity across the United States. The overall Index rose from 114 in October to 117 in November, establishing a new milestone and demonstrating a sharp year-over-year increase compared to November 2003, when the Index stood at just 88.

During the month of November, 10 out of the 20 industries tracked by the Index saw slight increases in online job demand. Industries that experienced the greatest increases included professional, scientific & technical services and utilities. Industries that remained essentially unchanged included manufacturing, construction, and public administration, while management of companies & enterprises; accommodation & food services; and finance & insurance all saw declines of varying degrees.

The continued upward trend within the wholesale trade industry is likely reflective of the increased need to support retail orders for the busy holiday shopping season when shipping, receiving, and returns are at their highest. Similarly, the slight decline in online job demand within the retail industry is probably indicative of retailers having completed the bulk of their holiday season hiring, which often begins as early as August to accommodate longer interview and training cycles. Finance & insurance also eased off its long growth trend, suggesting a possible slowdown in hiring as 2004 comes to a close.

The November findings of the Monster Employment Index clearly indicate the steady continuation of step-wise growth in online job demand that started at the outset of 2004, said Jeff Taylor, Founder and Chief Monster. Broadly speaking, the U.S. job market has been on a steady pace of expansion throughout the year. As online demand logically precedes payroll activity, the increased online job availability weíve been tracking over the past several months is translating into the job growth documented by the Department of Labor.

Online demand for workers increased in 14 out of 23 occupational categories in November. Demand for healthcare support shot up more than 15 points, while demand for healthcare practitioners & technical workers also saw a healthy month-to-month increase. Both of these jumps indicate a broad increase in demand and suggest that organizations have actively begun recruiting the many students graduating from medical schools in December. Business & financial operations registered its eleventh month of sequential growth while demand for military specific occupations was up sharply, continuing a two-month upward trend. Office & administrative support; sales; and construction all remained unchanged.

The computer & mathematical occupations category, which captures the greatest number of IT-related positions, ended a four-month upward trend and registered the sharpest month-to-month decline. Other occupational categories experiencing minor declines in November included blue-collar-heavy categories such as food preparation & serving; installation, maintenance & repair; production; and transportation and warehousing. The only exception to this trend was building & grounds maintenance, which is likely due to organizations preparing for the winter seasonís maintenance demands.

Online Job Demand Rises in All U.S. Regions in November

Online job demand for workers rose slightly in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in November, with every region at very high levels when compared year-over-year. The West South Central region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, saw the greatest increase in online job demand during the month.

40 out of the 50 U.S. states either remained unchanged or saw increases during the month of November. States that saw the biggest month-to-month increases included Texas, Florida and South Carolina. The District of Columbia remained unchanged, as did Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming. Of the 11 states that saw slight declines, only 6 states dipped for the second month in a row. The District of Columbia and all 50 states are up sharply compared to their levels in November 2003.

Based on online job demand in relation to total working population, the Monster Employment Index found the following states to be the top ten in terms of online job availability during the month of November:

1. Arizona

2. District of Columbia

3. Maryland

4. Delaware

5. California

6. Massachusetts

7. Virginia

8. Connecticut

9. Florida

10. New Jersey

California continued to offer the most online job availability of any state during the month of November based on sheer quantity alone.


The Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online job demand conducted by Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), the parent company of the leading global online careers property, Monster(R). Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 Web sites, including a variety of corporate career sites, job boards and Monster, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. 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 job positions. The Monster Employment Index reports results on a monthly basis.

All of the data and findings in the Monster Employment Index have been validated for their accuracy through independent, third party auditing conducted on a monthly basis by ARC Research, a Cranford, New Jersey-based provider of innovative click and brick market research solutions. The audit validates the accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured for the last six months within a margin of error of /- 1.05%.

Additional information on the Monster Employment Index, including all charts and tables, is available online at: