Online Recruitment Dips in March, According to the Monster Employment Index UK

 

- Online Hiring Falls Slightly Following Record Growth in February -

- HR Sector Hit Hardest -

London, April 8, 2008 - Online recruitment activity in the UK eased slightly in March as the Monster Employment Index dropped by 5 points, following record growth in February. 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 Europe, including Monster.co.uk.

The Index fell to a level of 187 points in March, partly due to a significant drop in online job availability in the HR sector. The Index also showed a notable decrease in demand for craft and related workers. Overall, the Index is up 37 points, or 25 percent, compared to March 2007.

"Despite the slight dip in March, the first quarter of 2008 brought strong growth in online job demand," said Hugo Sellert, Head of Economic Research, Monster Worldwide. "The labour market remains tight as employers continue to try and fill vacancies. The financial sector shows fewer opportunities than last year amid continued turmoil in the banking sector, but prospects for growth across most other UK industries still appear favourable."

 

Monster Employment Index UK results over the past 13 months are as follows:

 

Notable Decline in HR Hiring in March

There was a significant decrease in online job demand in the HR sector, led by a decline in opportunities for professionals. Growth dipped across most regions in the UK, with London registering the sharpest fall following two months of continued growth. The South East and South West fell after one and two months of growth respectively, while hiring in Northern Ireland remained stable. Year-on-year increase was 4 points, or 2%

Opportunities in the healthcare, social work sector decreased notably in March, following strong growth in February. This dip reflects reduced hiring for both technicians and associate professionals; and professionals. By contrast, demand grew for service workers and shop and market sales workers within this sector for the second month in a row. Regionally, the South West registered the biggest decline, while there was an upturn of opportunities in Northern Ireland.
 
Job availability in the education, training and library sector also dipped, reversing the upward trend in February. A slowing of vacancies was seen among professionals, which saw strong growth in February. Regionally, East Anglia, London and the South East saw the sharpest declines; while the Midlands and Wales each saw increases for the second consecutive month.

Contrastingly, the legal sector saw a considerable rise in online job demand, increasing by 38 Index points after two months of decline. Professionals experienced the highest demand in the sector. The South East showed the highest rate of increase, following two months of decline. London also registered a significant increase in opportunities.