September 2009 Index Highlights:

• The Monster Employment Index UK dipped by two points as online job availability declined for the second consecutive month
• Online job demand fell markedly in the public sector, with losses also seen in the technology sector. Offerings grew in sales
• Job demand held steady in London and the Midlands, whilst hiring in North England and the South West fell most

Summary Overview
Online employment opportunities across the UK dipped by two points (two percent) in September, as job demand dropped slightly for the second straight month. Despite this fall, online hiring has remained largely flat since the turn of the year. The overall European Index also dipped three points (three percent) in August and fell by 37 percent year-on-year.

Year-on-year, hiring levels in the UK are down 33 percent. September saw a notable decrease in hiring activity in public sector, defence, community. There was reduced availability in education, training and library; and healthcare, social work – possibly reflecting pressure on government spending amid widening deficits. Declines were also seen in IT, engineering and R&D, indicating that the technology sector continues to be hit by the economic slowdown. By contrast, demand for workers in sales increased, suggesting retailers are more optimistic amidst the recovery in consumer confidence.

“Hiring among UK companies remains worryingly stagnant. As long as the macroeconomic outlook is uncertain, companies will remain reticent to hire workers, which in itself could slow the actual recovery,” commented Hugo Sellert, head of economic research, at Monster Worldwide. “Despite sharp drops in hiring in the public sector and among technology companies in September, there is some cause for optimism in the broader business sector. Recruiting increased in the third quarter for areas such as sales, management and office and administrative support.”

Demand for public sector workers plunges as the sales sector sees signs of recovery
Just eight of the 21 industry sectors monitored by the Index registered overall increases in online job availability in September. Public sector, defence, community was hit the hardest, with offerings down by 11 points (ten percent) in September. The sector dropped to a 14-month low, indicating less hiring in the government sphere. There were also decreases in healthcare, social work (down six points, or two percent); and education, training and library (down nine points, or four percent), although they remained the only two industry sectors to report growth on an annual basis. The technology sector saw a continued ease in demand for workers as online hiring fell in engineering (down five points, or five percent); IT (down two points, or three percent); and research and development (down seven points, or six percent). Job availability for HR workers also retracted sharply, suggesting overall demand for recruiting personnel remains weak.

Telecommunications registered the highest upturn in online hiring, increasing by six points (ten percent). There were also notable jumps in arts, entertainment, sports, leisure (up seven points, or seven percent); and accounting, audit, taxes sectors (up four points, or five percent). Opportunities in the sales sector inched marginally higher, extending a six-month positive trend, showing signs of recovery in online hiring among retailers.

Hiring drops for service and sales workers; strong upturn for skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers
Online job demand for service and sales workers fell by one point (one percent) in September. This category registered the largest annual fall in online job demand, plummeting by 50 points (42 percent). There were also sharp downturns in hiring in September for craft, and related workers (down five points, or four percent); technicians and associate professionals (down four points, or three percent); and elementary occupations (down four points, or six percent).

By contrast, skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers posted the sharpest uptick, growing by 21 points, or 14 percent. It was also the only occupational group to register an increase in job availability compared to a year ago. Demand for clerical support workers saw a second successive upturn, increasing by seven points (seven percent). Hiring of plant and machine operators, and assemblers also edged slightly higher (up one point, or two percent).

Job demand falls most in North England and the South West; hiring holds steady in the Midlands and London
None of the nine UK regions registered an increase in online hiring. Demand fell most in North England (down three points, or two percent) and the South West (down three points, or two percent). Job opportunities fell in Wales for the fourth consecutive month.
Offerings held steady in both the Midlands and London. Year-on-year, East Anglia is showing the most moderate rate of decline, whilst Northern Ireland and the Midlands have dropped furthest.

About The Monster Employment Index Europe
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 European Union, including Monster.co.uk. Launched in June 2005 with data from December 2004, the Index is based on a review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of corporate career sites and job boards, including Monster.

The Index monitors online job opportunities across all European Union member countries.
The monthly reports for Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Europe are available at: http://about-monster.com/employment/index/17.

More information about Monster Worldwide is available at http://about-monster.com.

Last update : 15-10-2009 20:55

Keywords : News, Today, Monster Employment Index UK September Highlights

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