Monster US online jobs index rises in February

Embargoed to 12:01am THURSDAY, MAR 3, 2011

NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters) - A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States rose 4 percent in February compared to the same month a year ago, as demand for workers in the retail sector increased and a decline in government employment continued.

Monster Worldwide Inc (MWW.N), an online recruiting firm, said on Thursday its monthly index rose by six percent in February from January.

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 selection of corporate career Web sites and job boards, including Monster.com.

"Sustained expansionary trends in private sector hiring coupled with growing consumer confidence have led to positive year-over-year growth in the index," said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide.

"Although Index growth has eased since the early summer peak of 2010 due in part to a decline in public sector activity, it has been positive year-over-year since February 2010 as employers continue to maintain a measured approach to growth," Harriott said in a statement.

INDUSTRY TRENDS

Of the 20 industries monitored by the Index, 10 showed positive annual growth trends.

Mining and wholesale trade led all sectors in annual growth. Utilities jobs were up 17 percent, making them one of the top-moving sectors in February, Monster said.

Retail employment rose 15 percent on a monthly basis, displaying recruitment trends similar to pre-recession activity, Monster said.

The steepest annual decline was in public administration, which slipped 25 percent. The finance and insurance sectors were down 8 percent, suggesting some stagnation in hiring for clerical and support roles, Monster said.

Among occupations, 15 of the 23 monitored by the index showed positive annual growth trends. Business and financial operations was up 11 percent, while architecture and engineering was up 10 percent in February, Monster said.

All 28 metropolitan markets recorded positive annual job growth in February, with Detroit and Philadelphia among the top growth markets.

The report comes ahead of the U.S. government's closely watched U.S. payroll report for February on Friday, which is expected to show payrolls rose about 185,000 up from 36,000 in in January.

In Europe, the Monster Employment Index's annual growth rate accelerated to a positive 25 percent in January, despite a reduction in public sector opportunities. Germany continued to be the strongest overall creator of job opportunities in Europe (Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by xxxxxxxx)