Cheezhead Recruiting News and Opinion

The Monster Employment Index for February 2009 increased four points from January as a majority of industries, occupations, and regions registered increased online job availability.

Out of the Index’s 20 industry categories, online job availability increased in 17 and in 18 of the 23 occupational categories. Despite these gains, the Index remains down 26 percent from a year ago.

The Index is a monthly gauge of online job demand based on data pulled from corporate career sites and job boards.

“The gain in the February Index is the first since October of 2008, but is a typical pattern seen historically as we move from January to February and companies start their recruiting efforts in earnest. Most industries and occupations showed an increase in online recruitment activity in February as did the majority of geographical regions and major metropolitan markets. All of this suggests that traditional annual hiring cycles remain somewhat intact,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “The annual growth rate for the Index is still negative year-over-year, suggesting that labor market conditions remain well below the hiring demand of 2007 and early 2008.”

The report stated that online job opportunities in all but three industry sectors rebounded in February with Utilities registering the largest monthly gain. Administrative/ Support /Waste Management/Remediation Services staged a partial rebound from the record low online recruitment levels of January.

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services registered a rise in worker demand due to seasonal demand for accountants and related professionals. Manufacturing also saw a rise in February suggesting that employers may have initiated a hiring cycle in advance of busier production in the spring. Public Administration also gained for the second month in a row.

In contrast, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation had one of the steepest falls among the industry sectors in the February Index reflecting tempered expectations for leisure spending in the near future.

With regards to occupations, Community and Social Services registered a 14% month-over-month increase, the largest amongst all occupational categories, likely driven by a rush of volunteer and part-time openings across all regions. Business and Financial Operations also gained in February after registering declines in the previous two months.

On a year-over-year basis, Military Specific experienced the fastest acceleration in annual growth pace among occupations, reflecting upward momentum in online recruitment and associated demand for defense-related workers.

Online job availability rose in 25 of the 28 metro markets led by Pittsburgh and Houston. Pittsburgh registered the largest monthly rise, bolstered by substantially increased demand for business and financial operations professionals and blue-collar workers. Houston saw increased demand for management workers, healthcare support and practitioners/technical professionals.

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