European Online Recruitment Up 25% Year-on-Year, Reports Monster Employment Index

European Online Recruitment Up 25% Year-on-Year, Reports Monster Employment Index

January 2011 Index Highlights:

· The Monster Employment Index Europe reported annual growth of 25% in January, the most rapid pace seen during the current economic cycle

· Recruitment remained relatively active, with less seasonal slow-down than is typically seen for the month. However, Real estate was the only sector to see increased demand from December to January, driven by growth in Germany and France. Transport, post and logistics noted the greatest annual gain

· Public sector opportunities continued to reduce, aligning with trends of reductions in government spending in many European countries

· Online job demand for Managers edged down slightly on a monthly basis

· Germany continued to lead all countries in annual growth; Italy eased following a high performing December

Summary Overview

Long term online recruitment levels improved again, with the annual growth rate accelerating from 22% in December to 25% in January.

The seasonal slow-down was mild, relative to what is typically seen at this time of year. Engineering and production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair recorded notably mild degrees of easing on the month. These sectors continue to be among the largest contributors to Europe’s overall job market turnaround.

Public sector job opportunities hit the lowest level since May 2010, reflecting significant cuts in government spending across the continent. Following a sharp rise in growth in education, training and library in December relating to the start of a new semester, the sector reduced to normal levels in January although remained up year-on-year.

The Monster Employment Index Europe is a monthly analysis of millions of online job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of corporate career sites and job boards across Europe, including Monster.

Monster Employment Index Europe results for the past 13 months are as follows:

“The long term picture continues to improve, with Europe’s industrial production, together with a high performing market in Germany, creating the highest annual growth rate seen since the recession,” commented Andrea Bertone, Vice President of Business Operations at Monster Europe. “However, the Index shows the impact of tighter government spending, with significant reductions in public sector opportunities. The months ahead will be key as we see the currently-growing private sector react to these cut-backs.”

Real estate leads monthly online job demand

Online job demand increased in just one sector in January with real estate registering a one point (1%) monthly increase. This was largely driven by Germany, together with small improvements in France and Poland. Year-on-year, the sector’s recruitment levels are up 24%, with activity largely

focused on commercial rather than residential property.

Engineering exhibited some easing on the month with a reduction of four points (3%). However, the sector typically sees a decline at this time of year and the long-term trend continues to strengthen year-on-year, at 34%. This trend was mirrored in transport, post and logistics (up 60% year on year); production, manufacturing, maintenance and repair (up 55% year on year); IT (up 12% year on year) and research and development (up 44% year on year).

Financial services carried some recruitment momentum into the New Year. Accounting, audit, taxes edged down marginally by one point (1%) on the month, buoyed by robust demand in UK and Germany. From an annual growth view, the sector is now up 11% in the Index. Meanwhile, banking, finance, insurance saw its annual growth improve to a 5% pace.

Education, training, library registered the steepest monthly decline among sectors in the January Index, down 23 points (11%). The sector has historically seen seasonal declines in January of similar degree; the sector’s long-term trend stayed on track, as annual growth remained at 16%. General public sector opportunities reduced by six points (7%) this month, dropping the sector’s 12-month trend into negative territory.

Online job demand exhibited positive growth across all occupations for the year

Each of the nine occupational groups monitored by the Index registered monthly declines in online job demand in January, although the annual trends were positive year-on-year across all groups.

Annual growth in demand for plant and machine operators, and assemblers accelerated to 67% in January, leading all occupational groups. This aligns with trends seen in the production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair sector; the group’s largest employer.

Managers saw mild easing in online recruitment activity in January of two points (2%), reflecting widely sustained demand for white collar professionals. Annual growth for the group improved to 17%.

Service and sales workers; and elementary occupations registered downshifts in long-term growth. Nonetheless, demand remains substantially higher than it was a year ago in both occupational groups.

Country Highlights:

· Belgium: The Monster Employment Index Belgium demonstrated annual growth of 16% in January, indicating continued long-term momentum in the Belgian labour market. However, online recruitment activity in January was down from December aligning with the seasonal precedent for the start of each year.

· France: Online job demand exhibited seasonal easing of seven % in January while annual growth was reported at 23%, an accelerated year-on-year result compared to December. Marketing, PR and media was the only sector to register a gain on the month, increasing one point (1%), while other professional service sectors including research and development; IT; and management and consulting logged relatively mild declines for this time of year.

· Germany: While online recruitment eased on the month, the annual growth rate in January is the most rapid of the current economic cycle, with Germany remaining among the top trending European countries by measure of long-term growth in the Index. Year-on-year online demand has grown by 37%. Banking, finance and insurance, and accounting, audit, taxes were among professional service sectors to record improvement in long-term growth trends in January, suggesting a slight return to confidence of employers in these sectors.

· Italy: Online recruitment opportunities in Italy maintained steady long-term growth, while the sequential month view illustrated seasonal easing of 11% between December 2010 and January 2011.

· Netherlands:

The Monster Employment Index Netherlands eased month-on-month in January by three points (3%), reflecting a relatively strong start to the year given the more dramatic December-January declines historically seen in the Index. Annual growth accelerated to 7%, up from December’s 3% rate, reflecting a more robust pace of long-term improvement. Among industries, research and development; IT and engineering recruitment were strong for this time of year, with a resultant up-shift in annual growth.

· Sweden: According to Monster Employment Index Sweden, online job opportunities grew by 32% annually. The monthly view revealed a dip of nine points (6%) in January which aligns with seasonal patterns historically seen in the Index during the December-January transition period.

· UK: The Monster Employment Index UK demonstrated a 15% increase in online job demand since January last year, suggesting positive momentum in the UK jobs market. IT led all sectors in terms of annual growth, exhibiting a 34% increase. Banking, finance and insurance was also slightly improved on the year. Month on month the Index showed a slight decline, but this is a usual trend for early January as companies come back after the holiday season.

Best Performing Sectors

Industry sectors showing the highest rate of increase in online job availability included:

Month-on-month

Year-on-year

Findings for the seven countries tracked by the Monster Employment Index Europe for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index Europe findings across occupational categories for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index Europe findings across industry sectors for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index data for February will be released on March 8, 2011.