· The Monster Employment Index Germany declined for the fourth consecutive month in June, dropping two percent and reaching a three-and-a-half year low. Year-on-year, the Index remained down 24 percent
· Fewer opportunities were reported in construction, engineering, manufacturing, R&D, accounting, IT, management, marketing and transportation, reflecting sluggish industrial activity
· Only Brandenburg reported a lightly increased online job availability among regions in June while Sachsen remained the top growth region year-on-year
Online recruiting efforts among German organisations continued to trend lower during the second quarter amid sustained layoffs and hiring freezes. Mirroring the German economy’s dependence on global trade and commerce, employer demand weakened most in export-driven logistics sector, with related heavy industries also reporting fewer online opportunities. Nevertheless the Monster Employment Index in Germany is trending better than the European Index average.
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.
“The continued down turn in German labour market conditions mirrors European-wide trends and suggests a challenging summer in store for job seekers,” commented Marco Bertoli, vice president and general manager Central Europe, Monster Worldwide. “With the German economy expected to shrink by around 6 percent this year, companies are still very reluctant to take on more staff.”
Transport sector reports sharp decline in worker-demand; public sector and hospitality grow
While heavy industries reported a decline in online opportunities, there were some areas of growth, including public sector and hospitality.
The transport, post and logistics sector saw the sharpest decline in June, dropping 10 points (10 percent) and exhibiting one of the sharpest year-on-year declines, dropping 67 points (43%). Meanwhile, production, manufacturing, maintenance and repair just like construction and extraction fell four points (three percent), showing the broader effect of the recession on the export-driven markets. Engineering also fell six points (seven percent) and R&D five points (five percent).
Accounting, audit and taxes also showed one of the sharpest monthly declines losing 9 points (five percent).
On an annual basis, HR continued to show the steepest decline, down 52 points (53 percent) from a year ago, partly reflecting falling demand for temporary help services as well as the overall tensing of recruitment functions during the tough economic conditions.
Despite the overall decline, a number of sectors monitored by the Index reported increased online job availability. The public, defence and community sector saw a seven point (eight percent) rise in opportunities following May’s dip. Arts, entertainment, sports, leisure as well as hospitality and tourism rebounded from steep declines in May. Banking, finance and insurance gained two points (two percent), edging up to its 2009 high.
On an annual basis, only three categories – healthcare and social work; public sector, defence and community; and agriculture, fishing and forestry – reported gains.
Annually all occupational groups showed declines
Opportunities for skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers dipped slightly in June (one point), counter to seasonal expectations due to a usually busy season. The category continued to report an annual contraction, though demand was down by just one point (one percent). Monthly declines were also reported for plant operators (four points), managers (three points), professionals (two points) and craft workers (one point).
Compared to the results in May three occupational groups increased in June. Elementary occupations saw the largest monthly rise in online opportunities, adding four points (three percent). Opportunities also increased for service and sales workers by three points (two percent), whilst technicians and associate professionals increased two points (two percent).
Majority of regions report fall in online jobs
All of the major regions across Germany except Brandenburg registered lower online job availability in June, with many also remaining down year-on-year. Sachsen lost one point (one percent) in June, yet exhibited the strongest recruitment growth trend of all regions year-on-year (17 percent).
A general downtrend in online hiring activity continued for Berlin, as it fell four points (three percent) to an annual low. However, Berlin has remained relatively resistant year-on-year, falling less than many other regions and losing just 11 points (eight percent) since June 2008.
Meanwhile, Brandenburg added one point (one percent) and grew four points (three percent) year-on-year. It was one of only two German regions – along with Sachsen with 20 points – to exhibit an annual gain.
