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.com.
During September, online job availability rose in four of the Index’s 20 industry sectors and in four of the 23 occupational categories monitored. Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:
| Sep.
09 |
Aug. 09 |
Jul. 09 |
Jun. 09 |
May.
09 |
Apr.
09 |
Mar.
09 |
Feb.
09 |
Jan.
09 |
Dec.
08 |
Nov.
08 |
Oct.
08 |
Sept.
08 | ||||||||||||
| 119 | 121 | 114 | 117 | 118 | 120 | 118 | 122 | 118 | 131 | 143 | 150 | 160 |
“Despite recent improvements in economic sentiment, U.S. employers continue to exhibit caution when it comes to hiring,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “On the upside, demand for workers is firming in the blue-collar segment, with welcome signs of revived activity in construction and manufacturing.”
Mining and Construction Rise, While Manufacturing Holds Steady in September
Online labor demand in the mining, quarrying and oil/gas extraction industry increased in September, rising for the third consecutive month. Recent rises in energy and commodity prices may have contributed to accelerated hiring in the sector. Meanwhile, construction continued its steady rise, with a three-point increase in September, mirroring reports that the housing market has reached a bottom.
Online demand in the manufacturing and administrative/support and waste management industries remained stable in September, while arts, entertainment, and recreation registered the sharpest percentage decline on the month among industries, followed by public administration.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the only industry category showing greater online job availability compared to a year ago.
Opportunities for Blue-Collar Occupations Rise; Healthcare Eases in September
Online demand for blue-collar occupations rose in September with installation, repair and maintenance leading all categories. Construction and extraction and production also recorded expanded opportunities. Personal care and service was the only other category to edge upward in September though demand in this occupational category remains near historic lows with a year-over-year decline of 57 percent. Demand remained stable for most white-collar occupations with business and financial operations exhibiting a solid three-month trend.
In contrast, opportunities for healthcare workers were broadly reduced in September as both healthcare support and healthcare practitioners and technical registered lower demand than a month ago. Demand for military-specific occupations also declined, possibly due to reduced hiring by public and private defense employers. Declines were also noted for management and sales occupations, following upticks last month.
On an annual basis, farming, fishing and forestry remains the only occupational category to exhibit greater demand than a year ago.
Online Job Availability Decreases in Eight of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in September
Online job demand declined in all U.S. Census Bureau regions except East North Central in September. Hiring conditions were relatively stable in the Great Lakes states of Michigan and Wisconsin. In contrast, West South Central declined, erasing the upward movement from the previous month.
Year-over-year, East South Central had the most moderate rate of decline closely followed by the South Atlantic region.
Eight of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Increases in September
During September, online recruitment activity increased in eight of the 28 major metro markets monitored by the Index. Boston saw the highest increase due to an upsurge in demand for workers in life, physical, and social sciences, legal and healthcare occupations. Cleveland saw a three-point rise that contributed to the rise in online demand for the East North Central region as a whole, mostly due to increased demand for white-collar categories like business/financial operations and IT. Both Portland and Kansas City declined but experienced expansion in lower-wage occupations like food preparation/serving and production.
To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index report for September 2009, and to access current individual data charts for each of the 28 metro markets tracked, please visit http://about-monster.com/employment-index. Data for the month of October 2009 will be released on November 5, 2009.
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 corporate career sites and job boards, including Monster, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. All of the data and findings in the Monster Employment Index have been validated for their accuracy through independent, third party auditing conducted periodically by Research America, Inc. The audit validates the accuracy of the online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%.
