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Online Recruitment Rebounds Slightly in the UK in October, According to the Monster Employment Index

October 2008 Index Highlights:
• The Index showed modest growth to rebound from a four month decline. Online job availability in the UK is now one percent higher than year-earlier levels
• Demand surged in the healthcare and education sectors. Moderate increases were also seen in finance and engineering
• By contrast, hiring fell sharply in the architecture, construction and HR sectors
• Among occupational groups, demand for craft and related workers jumped while offerings for service workers and shop and market sales workers dropped
• Regionally, Wales saw the highest monthly and annual growth rates. Northern Ireland fell back the most

Summary Overview
The Monster Employment Index UK increased by two points in October to reach a level of 161, indicating unexpected resilience in the jobs market following the recent financial turmoil. The upturn halted a fourth month decline and the Index is once again showing an annual increase after registering the first year-on-year decline on record in September. Online job availability rose most in the healthcare, social work; and education, training and library sectors and there were moderate increases in offerings in banking, finance and insurance; and engineering. In contrast, there was a marked decline in demand for workers in environment, architecture and urbanism; construction and extraction; and HR.

The Monster Employment Index Europe is a monthly analysis of millions of online job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of corporate career sites and job boards across the UK, including Monster.co.uk.

Monster Employment Index UK results for the past 13 months are as follows:

Oct 08	Sep 08	Aug 08	Jul 08	Jun 08	May 08	Apr 08	Mar 08	Feb 08	Jan 08	Dec 07	Nov 07	Oct 07
161	159	167	174	177	181	179	187	192	160	174	169	160

“Although the recent financial crisis adds uncertainty to an already weak economic outlook and job offerings in some sectors are declining significantly, the October Index also shows areas of sustained high demand such as engineering, education and healthcare,” commented Hugo Sellert, Head of Economic Research, Monster Worldwide.

Demand for healthcare, social work; and education, training and library workers rockets
Online hiring in the healthcare, social work sector surged by 54 points in October as opportunities bounced back dramatically from a dip in September. This growth was principally driven by increased demand for professionals. Regionally, Wales saw the biggest upturn in job availability following two months of decline. Demand rose in Scotland for the second consecutive month. In contrast, opportunities dipped in Northern Ireland. Year-on-year growth was 73 points, or a remarkable 40 percent.

There was also a sharp increase in online job vacancies in the education, training and library sector in October, following two straight months of decline. The sector grew by 50 points as demand rose notably for both professionals; and technicians and associate professionals. There were major regional increases in Wales, Scotland and the South East, whilst only Northern Ireland saw fewer opportunities than last month. Year-on-year, demand rose 51 points, or 31 percent.

Contrastingly, there was a marked downturn in hiring in the environment, architecture and urbanism sector for the second consecutive month, likely as a consequence of the troubled real estate industry. This decline was led by reduced demand for both professionals; and technicians and associate professionals for the second month in a row. Regionally, Northern Ireland registered the sharpest fall, while the largest growth was seen in the South West. Year-on-year, the category declined 57 points, or 28 percent.

Job availability for craft and related workers bounces back
Online job availability for craft and related workers bounced back strongly in October following four successive monthly dips. This increase was largely due to higher demand within the construction and extraction sector. Regionally, Wales and the South West saw the strongest upturns, while opportunities in London declined for the second consecutive month. Year-on-year, the category was down 53 points, or 21 percent.

There was also a significant rise in demand for skilled agricultural and fishery workers after three months of decline. This upturn was driven by higher demand in the agriculture, fishing and forestry sector. Notable increases were seen across all regions, led by the South West and Wales. Year-on-year, the category was up 38 points, or 25 percent, the highest among occupational groups.

Demand for service workers and shop and market sales workers dipped again for the third month in a row after peaking in July. There were major declines in the public sector, defence, community; and arts, entertainment, sports, leisure sectors. Of the regions, London, East Anglia and the South West declined for the fourth successive month. Hiring rose in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Year-on-year, the region was down 41 points, or 29%, one of the steepest after plant and machine operators and assemblers.

Wales leads regional hiring growth in October
Wales experienced significant growth in online hiring in October, reversing a sizeable dip in September. There were major increases in the banking, finance, insurance; education, training and library; and healthcare, social work sectors. In contrast, job availability in the engineering; environment, architecture and urbanism; and arts, entertainment, sports, leisure sectors dipped for the second continued month. Among occupational groups, demand rose most for skilled agricultural and fishery workers; and craft and related workers. Year-on-year growth for the region was 48 points, or 23%, the highest among regions.

Online job availability in East Anglia showed some recovery in October after two months of weakened demand. Hiring increased most in the education, training and library; and healthcare, social work sectors. Opportunities in the banking, finance, insurance sector also showed some recovery after a month of lower demand. Among occupational groups, the biggest increase was for legislators, senior officials and managers, while online positions dipped most for elementary occupations workers. Year-on-year, demand in the region dipped 11 points, or 7%.

In contrast, there was a significant downturn in job availability in Northern Ireland in October, following strong growth in September. Opportunities in the environment, architecture and urbanism sector showed the sharpest decrease. Despite the fall, online hiring showed some recovery in the banking, finance, insurance; and hospitality and tourism sectors after two months of lower demand. Among occupational groups, opportunities for professionals dropped the most. Year-on-year growth was 10 points, or 7%.

Top Industries Looking for Employees
Industries showing the greatest rate of increase in online job availability included:

Industry	Oct 08	Sep 08	Aug 08
Healthcare, social work	255	201	226
Education, training and library	217	167	185
Banking, finance, insurance	173	158	168
Administrative, organisation	178	173	184
Engineering	202	197	203

Most Wanted Occupational Categories
Occupational categories registering most significant increases in online job demand included:

Occupation	Oct 08	Sep 08	Aug 08
Craft  and related workers	204	176	205
Skilled agricultural and fishery workers	191	167	196
Professionals	172	164	173
Legislators, senior officials and managers	151	145	158

Monster Employment Index UK findings across industry sectors for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index UK findings across occupational categories for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index UK findings across UK regions for the past 13 months are as follows:

Monster Employment Index UK for November will be released on December 9, 2008.

About The Monster Employment Index UK
Providing a broad, comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand, the Monster Employment Index UK is an extension of the Monster Employment Index Europe, which is compiled each month by researchers at Monster Worldwide Europe.

Launched in June 2005, the Monster Employment Index Europe provides monthly insight into recruitment trends across the European Union.  The Index report is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from Web sites across Europe, including Monster®. The Index is audited by Research America, Inc. and provides analyses of online job demand within occupational categories, industry sectors and regions.

Monthly Index reports for Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Europe are available at:
http://corporate.monster.com/Press_Room/MEI_EU.asp.

About Monster Worldwide
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), 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. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 index and the NASDAQ 100. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading products and services, visit www.monster.com. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://corporate.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, seasonality and the other risks discussed in Monster Worldwide's Form 10-K/A and other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

CONTACTS:
Charlie Meredith-Hardy
Weber Shandwick
+44 (0)20 7067 0500
cmeredith-hardy@webershandwick.com