Index rises five points in March, leaving online job availability 31 percent higher than a year ago and indicating continued robust employer demand for labour across the European Union.

Production, manufacturing, maintenance, repair; and environment, architecture and urbanism register the largest increases in online recruitment both month-to-month and year-on-year. Opportunities in the real estate; and banking, finance, insurance sectors remain well below levels from last year.

Demand picks up for all occupational groups in March except skilled agricultural and fishery workers. Italy shows the strongest monthly increase, while France notes the sharpest decline. Year-on-year Germany emerges as the top growth market for the first time on record while only Belgium reports a decrease in offerings.

“EU online recruitment activity picked up further pace in March, driven primarily by strong demand for technically skilled workers in areas such as architecture, engineering and manufacturing,” said Hugo Sellert, Head of Economic Research, Monster Worldwide. “The underlying strengthening in demand has by and large been fuelled by Germany, Europe’s largest economy, whose job market appears to have been gaining momentum in spite of concerns about slowing economic growth.”

“Unemployment rates across the European Union have continued falling largely because employment is growing at a higher pace than the workforce,” added Sellert. “The tightening labour market has resulted in ever more challenging recruitment conditions and the scarcity of qualified workers is likely adding to the availability of unfilled jobs.”