· The Monster Employment Index Europe dipped for the fifth consecutive month, demonstrating intensified slowdown in recruitment activity at the year-end
· All major European markets reported significantly fewer job offerings in December, with France, Sweden and the UK suffering most.
· Germany remained up year-on-year, reflecting sustained tight labour market conditions in Europe’s largest economy
· The automotive sector registered the sharpest decline in December, as car makers across Europe slowed production in response to the dramatic fall in auto sales. Opportunities also fell significantly in the manufacturing, transportation and R&D sectors, while real estate fell to a four-year low
· By contrast, online job availability in the education, training and library sector jumped to the highest level on record, signaling soaring demand for teachers and related positions
Summary Overview
The Monster Employment Index Europe fell 14 points in December as online job availability reached its lowest level since March 2007. In previous years, the Index has shown a steady trend between November and December, suggesting that the fall in December 2008 was not the result of seasonality. The Index is now down 23 points, or 15 percent year on year. The continued deceleration of the Index’s annual growth rate indicates a rapid deterioration in employer demand for workers at the end of the year.
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 Europe, including Monster.
"With the prospects of a prolonged recession rising, companies throughout the European Union are trying to balance staffing levels with the anticipated level of demand in 2009, but amid high uncertainty many may be leaning towards the cautious side," commented Hugo Sellert, head of economic research at Monster Worldwide. "That said, the jobs market in Germany is holding up remarkably well, suggesting structural reforms over the past years may indeed be paying off. Furthermore, the education and health services sector is still showing intense recruiting activity across Europe, signalling pockets of high demand for workers."
Continued decline in online demand for workers in automotive sector, as demand for education, training and library workers surges
Online advertised vacancies in the Automotive sector plummeted in December, showing an annual fall of 40 Index points or 27 percent. Demand fell for the fourth consecutive month, as all major markets except Italy reported steep declines. The slowdown in hiring mirrors a decline in consumer demand. According to the European automakers association ACEA, new car sales in Europe plunged by more than a quarter in November.
Demand for workers in production, manufacturing, maintenance and repair industries also fell, reaching a seven-month low, following a drop of 22 points. Despite this, online job availability in the sector was up 20 percent, compared to a year ago, and the annual rate of growth actually improved slightly, indicating the drop was largely seasonal. Major declines were seen in Sweden, Italy, and Germany.
Meanwhile, recruitment in the education, training and library sector bounced back considerably in December, following a month of decline. The 19-point rise was led by the UK, where demand for education workers soared for the third month in a row. Demand also rose in Belgium, Germany and Sweden while Italy, France and the Netherlands reported fewer opportunities. Year-on-year growth was a solid 42 points, or 27 percent.
Plant and machine operators continue to see fewer opportunities, as Italy and Sweden report slowing online demand
Having declined significantly since August, plant and machine operators and assemblers saw another month of sharply reduced demand in December, falling 38 points, the steepest fall among occupational groups. This reflected slowing hiring in the automotive, manufacturing and transportation industries. Demand eased across all major markets, with the largest falls seen in Italy and Sweden. Year-on-year, the category was down 73 points, or 38 percent.
Service and sales workers also fell sharply, following a month of upturn. Job availability dipped significantly in Germany, Netherlands and the UK, while fewer opportunities were also seen in France and Sweden. Year-on-year, the category remained up 22 points, or 13 percent.
Professionals saw the declining trend in online recruitment activity extend to a fifth consecutive month in December with all the major markets showing slower hiring conditions. The steepest declines were seen in France, Sweden and the UK, while yearon- year, the category was down 12 points, or seven percent.
