Monster Employment Index U.S. Up 8% Year-over-Year

NEW YORK -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW):

December 2011 Index Highlights:

• Monster Employment Index U.S. shows annual growth of 8 percent in December, consistent with slow, but steady growth in online recruitment activity
• Index edges down 5 percent on monthly basis as is typical for year-end recruiting patterns recorded in recent years
• Transportation and warehousing continues to be a top growth market in December
• Public administration continues to register the steepest annual decline, dropping 11 percent year-over-year
• All metro markets tracked by the Index exhibit positive annual growth with Cincinnati continuing to exhibit the highest growth in December

The Monster Employment Index U.S. 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 career Web sites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.

“The Index maintained a positive year-on-year growth trend, despite easing from November to December due to the typical slowdown in recruitment activity associated with the end of the calendar year,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “Although indicators of economic activity within the trade and commerce sectors suggest economic growth continued in Q4, 2012 hiring plans in the context of the global economic uncertainty remain cautious."

Monster Employment Index U.S. results for the past 18 months are as follows:

Jul 10			Aug 10			Sep 10			Oct 10			Nov 10			Dec 10			Jan 11			Feb 11			Mar 11			Apr 11			May 11			Jun 11			Jul 11			Aug 11			Sep 11			Oct 11			Nov 11			Dec 11			Y-O-Y
138			136			138			136			134			130			122			129			136			145			143			146			144			147			148			151			147			140			8%

Industry Year-over-year Trends: 15 of the 20 industries monitored by the Index showed positive annual growth trends.

• Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (up 42 percent) continued to remain the top growth sector in December
• Transportation and Warehousing (up 30 percent) continued to record robust annual growth, aligning with other indicators of relatively strong commerce activity to close out 2011

• Wholesale Trade (up 20 percent in December from 15 percent in November) drove a momentum gain in the broader trade sector. Meanwhile, Retail trade (up 14 percent in December from 13 percent in November) recorded a milder improvement in growth pace
• Utilities (down 8 percent) fell into negative growth indicating unusual contraction in recruitment activity for the sector

• Public Administration (down 11 percent) continued to record the steepest decline in December

Top Growth Industries

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting			168			238			42%
Transportation and Warehousing			158			205			30%
Mining, Quarrying, Oil and Gas Extraction			204			257			26%
Other Services			166			208			25%
Information			79			95			20%

Lowest Growth Industries

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing			56			56			0%
Accommodation and Food Services			99			94			-5%
Utilities			136			125			-8%
Educational Services			86			78			-9%
Public Administration			166			147			-11%

Occupation Year-over-year Trends: Annual online demand for workers rose in 19 of 23 occupational categories in December.

• Computer and Mathematical (up 19 percent) saw continued demand for software engineers and network technicians as indicated by growth in the broader information sector
• Legal (up 16 percent in December from 3 percent in November) recorded the most accelerated growth in the December Index
• Education, Training and Library (down 8 percent) replaced protective service as the weakest growing sector in December

Top Growth Occupations

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Personal Care and Service			39			67			72%
Transportation and Material Moving			102			141			38%
Architecture and Engineering			82			111			35%
Computer and Mathematical			99			122			23%
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair			135			161			19%

Lowest Growth Occupations

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical			151			159			5%
Life, Physical, and Social Science			111			116			5%
Protective Service			60			60			0%
Business and Financial Operations			153			143			-7%
Education, Training, and Library			120			111			-8%

Geographic year-over-year Trends: All 28 metro markets recorded positive annual growth in December

• Cincinnati (up 27 percent) continued to remain the top growth market in December
• San Diego (up 19 percent) recorded an ongoing gain in recruitment for life, physical, and social science occupations, suggesting some positive activity in the region’s biotech and related industries

• Los Angeles (up 6 percent) continued to remain amidst the weakest growing markets, although at a slightly improved pace than the 4 percent recorded in November. Growth was driven by rising demand for management, computer and mathematical, and transportation occupations

Top Growth Metro Markets

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Cincinnati			75			95			27%
Detroit			91			113			24%
Indianapolis			86			106			23%
Pittsburgh			141			169			20%
San Diego			67			80			19%

Lowest Growth Metro Markets

Year-over-year Growth			Dec 10			Dec 11			% Growth Y-o-y
Miami			74			79			7%
Los Angeles			64			68			6%
Philadelphia			59			61			3%
Boston			74			76			3%
New York City			79			80			1%

International Trends:

• Monster Employment Index Europe recorded year-over-year growth of 11 percent in December. The engineering sector continued to lead the index for the fourth consecutive month while legal and the public sectors record annul declines. Germany, up 32 percent, continued to lead all countries in annual growth
• Monster Employment Index India recorded a 7 percent increase year-over-year in November. Telecom/ISP led all sectors while printing/ packaging recorded the steepest decline

To obtain a full copy of the Monster Employment Index U.S. report for December 2011, 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 January 2012 will be released on February 3, 2012.

About the Monster Employment Index U.S.

Launched in April 2004 with data collected since October 2003, the Monster Employment Index U.S. 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 national online job recruitment activity measured within a margin of error of +/- 1.05%.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW - News), parent company of Monster, the premier global online employment solution for more than a decade, strives to inspire people to improve their lives. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-monster.com.

Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding Monster Worldwide, Inc.'s strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of Monster Worldwide's control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which Monster Worldwide operates, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, and the other risks discussed in Monster Worldwide's Form 10-K and other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

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