Monster U.S. online jobs index edges up in August

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A monthly online gauge of labor demand in the United States rose slightly in August from the prior month but was 14.5 percent down from a year ago, a private research group said on Thursday.

Monster Worldwide Inc, an online careers and recruiting firm, said its employment index rose to 159 points in August from 157 in July. The August reading compares to a level of 186 a year ago.

The slight rise in August over July was due in part to growth in job offerings from utilities companies and the arts, entertainment and recreation sector, Monster said.

"Employers are now stepping up their online recruitment efforts in preparation for the fall hiring season but activity in the job market remains muted compared to a year ago," said Jesse Harriott, a vice president at Monster.

The Monster report comes ahead of the ADP National Employment report, expected to show later on Thursday the private sector shed 30,000 jobs in August, and the U.S. Labor Department's release of weekly initial claims for jobless benefits, expected at 425,000 --the same figure as the prior week-- according to separate Reuters polls of economists.

The Monster index registered increases in 14 of 20 industries and 13 of 23 occupations in the last month.

Online job demand was higher in seven of the nine U.S. census regions, with the West North Central registering the largest increase.

The Monster Employment index is a monthly analysis based on a selection of corporate career sites and job boards. The margin of error is approximately plus or minus 1 percent.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Leslie Adler)