August 2009 Index Highlights
- Index rises seven points, or 6 percent, the highest monthly rate of increase
since August 2005
- Year-over-year decline eases to 24 percent, the most moderate pace of
slowdown so far this year
- Retail, administrative and financial industries demonstrate solid growth
- Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media rise among occupations,
whereas healthcare, community and personal care and services show
softening demand
- New England leads all regions while Portland, OR sees the highest rise on
the month amongst the metro markets
Summary Overview
The Monster Employment Index rose in August, seeing its highest monthly rate of
improvement in four years, as a majority of industries, occupations, and regions
registered increased online job availability following the slow summer hiring activity. The
Index’s annual rate of decline continued to moderate, indicating some signs of
improvement in underlying demand for labor nationwide.
“The significant jump in the Monster Employment Index in August offers
encouraging signs of improvement in the US economy with the demand for managers
and professionals as well as sales and office workers picking up in time for the fall hiring
season,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide.“The Index is now at its highest since February while showing the
most moderate yearly rate of contraction since December 2008.”
For the full report, please click on the link provided above.
MEI Local Reports
In addition to national, industry, occupation and regional data, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity in the 28 largest U.S. metro markets in terms of working population. The local results are broken down by occupation and are published at the same time as the national Index. Use the links below to see specific local market findings from the Index:
About the Monster Employment Index
Launched in April 2004 with data collected since October 2003, the Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online job demand conducted by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster®, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. The Monster Employment Index’s underlying data is validated for accuracy by Research America, Inc. – an independent, third-party auditing firm – to ensure that measured online job recruitment activity is within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%. Data for the month of September will be released on October 1, 2009.
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