Monster Employment Index – September 2008

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Monster Employment Index At a Glance

Index: 160
Monthly Change: Up 1
Year-to-year Change: Down 26 Points
Regions Growing: 3
Regions Unchanged: 5
Regions Declining: 1

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Monster Employment Index Edges Up Slightly in
September
September 2008 Index Highlights:
• Index climbs one point in September, showing a slight increase for the second
consecutive month
• Index’s year-on-year growth pace remains flat for the third straight month,
suggesting little change in underlying labor demand during the third quarter
• Public administration and retail trade industries demonstrate solid growth in
September, while opportunities in the education services industry retract
• Online demand for military specific; and community and social service
occupations increase further
• Mid-Atlantic region sees jump in online recruitment activity in September, while
only the West North Central exhibits a monthly decline
• Cincinnati and Pittsburgh show strongest monthly gain in online demand among
top 28 metro markets, while Kansas City shows sharpest drop
Summary Overview
The Monster Employment Index edged up one point in September, as online
recruitment activity increased slightly for the second consecutive month. 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®.
During September, online job availability rose in 10 of the Index’s 20 industry categories
and in 12 of the 23 occupational categories measured. On a year-over-year basis, the
Index remained flat from the previous two months, down 14 percent from a year ago.
Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:
SEP 08 AUG 08 JUL 08 JUN 08 MAY 08 APR 08 MAR 08 FEB 08 JAN 08 DEC 07 NOV 07 OCT 07 SEP 07
160 159 157 163 166 174 167 165 160 169 183 188 186
“The modest rise in the Monster Employment Index in September
reflects the typical pick up seen in overall recruitment activity during the outset of
the fall hiring season,” said Jesse Harriott, Vice President of Research at
Monster Worldwide. “Although the Index is down 14 percent year-on-year, there
are some bright spots, including increased online demand for occupations in
public administration and healthcare.”

Public Administration and Retail Trade Industries Register Largest Monthly
Gains in Online Job Demand in September
Online job demand in the public administration industry registered the highest rate of
increase in September, driven primarily by strong job posting growth among the nation’s
defense agencies and within local government. The retail trade industry also noted a
sizable jump in recruiting activity, demonstrating resilience at the height of back-to-
school and back-to-work hiring season, even as retailers brace for what is projected to
be a challenging holiday sales period.
In contrast, online job recruitment activity in the educational services industry declined
in September, suggesting that many schools and colleges have concluded their hiring
efforts for the fall semester. Meanwhile, online demand also fell sharply in the
agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry, while other industries such as
construction; wholesale trade; real estate and rental and leasing; and professional,
scientific and technical services registered more moderate dips on the month.
On a year-over-year basis, public administration remains the Index’s fastest growing
industry category, with the mining; and farming, foresting, fishing and hunting industries
also showing solid gains amid continued high demand for workers in the oil and gas
industry and farming sector.
Military Specific Occupations Register Largest Gain in Online Job
Opportunities in September
The military specific occupational category showed the highest rate of growth in online
job availability in September, suggesting increased hiring in the aerospace and defense
industry. Community and social service occupations also saw heightened demand in
September, as non-profit organizations and assorted government functions stepped up
their fall recruitment efforts.
In contrast, farming, fishing and forestry registered the sharpest monthly decline among
occupational groups for the second consecutive month, followed closely by education,
training and library. Other occupations that registered lower demand in September
include personal care and service; and healthcare support.
On a year-over-year basis, farming, fishing and forestry is still the Index’s top rated
occupational category in terms of growth, marking the fifth month in a row it has held
this spot. Despite exhibiting fewer online opportunities in September, categories such
as computers and mathematical (IT); and life, physical, and social science, showed slightly
improved annual growth rates compared to August. The protective service category
registered the largest decline from a year ago among occupational groups.

Online Job Availability Rises in Three of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in
September
Online job demand rose in three of the nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in September,
with the Mid-Atlantic region registering the largest increase on the month, followed
closely by the West South Central and the East North Central regions. West North
Central was the only region to show a decline in online demand in September, while the
remaining five regions were unchanged from August.
From an annual perspective, all nine regions remain down compared to a year ago, with
the West South Central region showing the smallest contraction, reflecting sustained
momentum in energy rich states such as Oklahoma and Texas.
At the state level, online job demand increased in 26 U.S. states plus the District of
Columbia during September. Adjusting the number of online help-wanted ads for total
working population, the Monster Employment Index found the following states to be the
top ten in terms of per-capita online job availability during the month of September:
State
Rank
1 Massachusetts
2 Montana
3 Connecticut
4 Delaware
5 Maryland
6 Vermont
7 Alaska
8 New Jersey
9 Virginia
10 Arizona
Online Job Demand Up in 17 of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets
During September, online recruitment activity increased in 17 of the 28 U.S. metro
areas monitored by the Index. Cincinnati showed the largest gain over the month,
driven mainly by heightened demand for IT, healthcare and office/administrative
occupations. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Kansas City registered the steepest
decline in demand over the month, mostly due to sharply fewer opportunities for legal,
education and office/administrative occupations, a trend not seen in any of the other
major Midwestern markets tracked.
On an annual basis, Pittsburgh remains the Index’s top growth market year-over-year
following a solid gain in September, while Orlando is the worst performing.