New York, NY, January 23, 2007--Online job availability declined in all 28 of the top U.S. metro markets in December, reflecting a seasonal hiring pause as employers concluded their holiday and year-end hiring efforts, according to the latest findings of the Monster Local Employment Index.
"The Index's year-end decline in overall online job availability is in line with seasonal expectations and past Index results, since employers typically conclude their hiring activities in the first half of the month, before people head off for the holidays," said Steve Pogorzelski, group president, international at Monster Worldwide. "Overall, 2006 was another year of steady growth for the Index, with every market demonstrating positive growth on a year-over-year basis, albeit at a slower rate in the second half of the year."
Portland, which saw four consecutive months of elevated demand, registered the most significant decline in online recruitment activity in December, falling six points. The overall drop in Portland was mostly due to fewer white-collar opportunities in occupations such as management, IT, and engineering, which now stand lower than a year ago. Atlanta, which fell one point last month, saw only a mild end-of-year decline in job availability and remains a healthy and resilient job market, with strong demand in the area for education; community/social services; protective services; and food services occupations.
The Baltimore metro market, which has experienced a softer-than-expected downturn over the past two months, saw strong demand for researchers and scientists; protective services workers; and advertising, marketing and PR professionals. Phoenix, which fell five points in December, has seen its housing-driven economy slow significantly, generating a gradual downshift in online recruitment activity over the past two quarters.
Houston registered the highest rate of increase in online job availability over the past 12 months, surging 17 points, mainly due to solid growth in demand for both white-and blue-collar occupations. Cleveland and Kansas City followed close behind, with their strong growth driven by soaring demand for IT and engineering professionals.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Tampa and Washington, D.C. registered the slowest rate of growth in online recruitment activity among the major markets tracked in 2006. Tampa, which has suffered from weakness in several housing-related categories, also saw a drop in demand for healthcare; community services; and arts and entertainment occupations in 2006. Washington, D.C., where the overall level of online job availability has still remained high, experienced rather stagnant demand for military, engineering, transportation, legal and office/administration workers compared to other markets.
Over the past year, and despite a dip last month, online job opportunities for protective service; and food preparation and serving related occupations registered the strongest pace of growth among occupations, reflecting continuous demand for security and restaurant workers, as well as the increased utilization of the Internet to recruit personnel for these types of occupations. In contrast, online job availability for military specific occupations declined the most in 2006.
During the month of December and among the 28 markets tracked, online demand for healthcare support occupations saw the largest drop, while opportunities for workers in business and financial operations; and architecture and engineering occupations dipped moderately.
