Monster Employment Index Increases by 13% in December: 11th Straight Month of Annual Growth

The Monster Employment Index for the U.S. was released today with the following highlights:

1. Compared to December 2009, online job demand was up by 13% last month, and December 2010 marked the eleventh consecutive month of a positive annual growth rate in the index, and the ninth straight month of double-digit growth (see chart above).   

2. Sixteen of the 20 industries monitored by the Index showed positive annual growth trends in December, with the strongest job gains in mining, oil and gas extraction (55%), utilities (28%), transportation (21%), health care (18%) and retail (15%).

3. All 28 metro markets recorded positive annual growth in December, with especially strong gains in Detroit (44%), Philadelphia (44%), Orlando (38%) and Minneapolis (36%).

4. “The Monster Employment Index has recorded a stable annual growth rate for three consecutive months, underscoring a trend of moderate labor market improvement,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “There are signs of momentum in pockets of the private sector as the economy continues to gradually improve. However, state and local government hiring continues to show signs of a slowdown, with recruitment activity softening year-on-year.”