Monster Employment Index Europe Falls in January 2008

The Monster Employment Index Europe dipped by 16 points to a level
of 139 in January as online job availability fell across the European
Union. The Netherlands and Sweden saw the biggest declines, of 17
points, while Germany dipped 10 points. Year-on-year the Index grew by
17 points, or 14%, showing continued growth in the EU job market,
however this was the slowest annual growth rate in five months,
indicating softer labour demand. 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 Europe, including Monster.

Approximately half of the Index´s fall in January can be
attributed to a seasonal slow-down, as recruitment generally eases
around the end of the year. Online hiring declined in all sectors,
although there was variation across Europe - with healthcare and
social work taking the brunt in Germany, management and consulting in
Sweden and banking, finance and insurance dropping by 26 points in the
UK.

"The Monster Employment Index Europe´s dip in January was
expected, but only part of the broad-based decline can be explained
due to a seasonal slow-down," said Andrea Bertone, Regional Director,
Monster Worldwide Europe. "It is possible that employers have become
more cautious in their hiring plans in face of a global economic
downturn. However, it should be noted that online job availability
remains well above levels from this time last year, reflecting
historically low unemployment rates across Europe and increased
utilisation of the Internet for recruitment."

-0-
*T
Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan
08 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07
----------------------------------------------------------------------
139 155 155 149 147 143 148 145 143 133 130 129 122
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*T

Findings for the five countries tracked by the Monster Employment
Index Europe for the past 14 months are as follows:

-0-
*T
Country Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan
08 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07 07
----------------------------------------------------------------------
France 140 156 157 160 147 154 160 154 143 148 139 155 122
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Germany 125 135 142 136 139 132 132 129 129 121 116 117 117
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Netherlands 188 205 202 204 197 193 197 191 198 191 185 170 171
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sweden 187 204 191 191 176 165 175 188 183 171 163 157 136
----------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom 160 174 169 160 162 167 165 170 162 141 150 140 121
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*T

There are also monthly Index reports for France, Germany, The
Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These are available at:

http://www.monsterworldwide.com/Press_Room/MEI_EU.asp

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