Monster Employment Index Continues to Maintain Positive Annual Growth in May

June 7, 2011 – The Monster Employment Index (MEI), a monthly analysis of millions of online job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of corporate career sites and job boards, has recorded annual growth rate of seven percent in May, marking the 16th consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Springtime recruitment remains strong in April-May timeframe despite one percent (two points) month-over-month decline which is not uncommon for this time of year. Twenty-seven of the 28 metro markets showed positive annual growth in May. The healthcare and social assistance sector remains positive, driven primarily by solid growth for healthcare support workers. “There has been considerable escalation in recruitment activity during 2011 with online job demand reaching the highest reading for the month of May in the index since 2008,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “We are currently seeing growth in private sector recruitment, with demand for professionals in healthcare, social services and business-related occupations rising; however government-related recruitment continues to lag.”