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Further Dip in UK Online Recruitment in August, According to the Monster Employment Index

August 2008 Index Highlights:
• Index fell by seven points in August - the fifth dip in the last six months and the first time the Index has showed no annual growth
• The hospitality and tourism; and education, training and library sectors saw the steepest declines due to a seasonal tailing off of hiring
• There were moderate rises in the public sector, defence, community; and healthcare, social work sectors
• Demand across all occupational groups declined. Craft and related workers; and service workers and shop and market sales workers registered the sharpest falls
• Regionally, online hiring declined especially in the Midlands and Scotland. Northern Ireland remains the top annual growth region, whilst East Anglia decreased most

Summary Overview
The Monster Employment Index UK decreased by seven points in August to reach a level of 167. This is the fifth decline in the last six months and the first time on record that the Index did not grow year-on-year, further demonstrating the marked slowdown in recruitment activity and labour demand due to the faltering economy. As in August 2007, hiring in the hospitality and tourism; and education, training and library sectors saw the steepest declines due to seasonal dips in demand for workers. There were moderate increases in the public sector, defence, community; and healthcare, social work sectors.

The Monster Employment Index UK 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.

Index results for the past 13 months are as follows:

Aug 08	Jul 08	Jun 08	May 08	Apr 08	Mar 08	Feb 08	Jan 08	Dec 07	Nov 07	Oct 07	Sep 07	Aug07
167	174	177	181	179	187	192	160	174	169	160	162	167

“Previously job seekers had the upper hand in the labour market, but the balance is now shifting. The recent decline in the Index shows jobs are now getting harder to come by as businesses across the UK ease back on their hiring in response to the slowing economy”, commented Hugo Sellert, Head of Economic Research, Monster Worldwide. “Not all sectors are feeling the pinch, though. Advertised vacancies in the healthcare and social work sector continue to rise, indicating mounting demand for nursing and medical care professionals.”

Demand for hospitality and tourism workers drops sharply
Online hiring in the hospitality and tourism sector fell by 45 Index points in August, following four straight months of growth. This mirrors a seasonal correction following escalated hiring in the lead-up to the holiday season. This decrease was mainly driven by reduced demand for legislators, senior officials and managers. There was a decline in job opportunities across all regions with North England dropping most. Despite the decline, year-on-year growth was 47 points, or 36%, the largest among industry sectors.

Job vacancies in the education, training and library sector also fell significantly in August, on the back of three successive months of growth. Opportunities for professionals; and technicians and associate professionals fell furthest. The steepest decline was in London but demand in Wales recovered after three monthly decreases. Year-on-year growth was a solid 46 points, or 33%.

By contrast, there was an increase in hiring in the healthcare, social work sector for the fourth month in a row, resulting in a new Index high for the industry. This surge was led by increased opportunities for professionals. Hiring of technicians and associate professionals fell, suggesting demand is tilted more towards highly skilled workers. Regionally, Northern Ireland and the South East rose most. Year-on-year, the sector was up 43 points, or 23%.

Further decline for craft and related workers
Online job availability for craft and related workers fell sharply again in August, for the third consecutive month. Once again, this decline reflects fewer opportunities in the construction, extraction; and production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair sectors. As in July, vacancies in Northern Ireland dipped most and there was reduced hiring in East Anglia, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales for the third month in a row. Demand showed slight recovery in London and South East. Year-on-year, the category was down 94 points, or 31%, the most among occupational groups.

There was also a significant decrease in service workers and shop and market sales in August, following two months of growth. Job availability dipped in both the hospitality and tourism; and retail sales sectors. Regionally, the steepest decline was seen in Scotland, while London and the Midlands dropped for a second consecutive month. Year-on-year, the category was down 14 points, or 10%.

Steepest drops in Northern Ireland and the Midlands
Northern Ireland fell by 24 points in August, partly offsetting a surge in demand during June and July. The largest declines were reported in arts, entertainment, sports, leisure; construction and extraction; and transport, post and logistics. Despite the dip, Northern Ireland remained the top growth region on an annual basis, up 31 points or 24% year-on-year.

Online hiring dropped sharply again in the Midlands for the second straight month. This decrease was caused primarily by fewer opportunities in hospitality and tourism; and production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair. Craft and related workers registered the steepest fall, while elementary occupations recorded increased job availability.

Wales was the only region that saw an increase in job availability in August. Opportunities rose most in the education, training and library; and environment, architecture and urbanism sectors. Although demand is down considerably since its February peak, the region remains 18 points, or 8%, up from 12 months ago.

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

Industry	Aug 08	Jul 08	Jun 08
Public sector, defence, community	105	97	101
Arts, entertainment, sports, leisure	185	180	197
Construction and extraction	156	152	157
Telecommunications	99	96	98
Banking, finance, insurance	168	165	162

Main Decreases in Occupational Categories
Occupational categories registering most significant decreases in online job demand included:

Occupation	Aug 08	Jul 08	Jun 08
Craft  and related workers	205	246	275
Service workers and shop and market sales workers	126	165	161
Elementary occupations	106	124	101
Plant and machine operators and assemblers	107	121	127
Professionals	173	180	182

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 September will be released on October 14, 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. 

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