- The Monster Employment Index Europe reported a four point (four percent) increase in online worker demand in May, with opportunities up eight percent year-on-year
- Online job availability increased most in education, training and library, propelled by a seasonal upswing. Automotive reported the largest annual increase whilst management and consulting offerings dipped the most since May 2009
- France noted the sharpest monthly increase among major countries, closely followed by the Netherlands. Sweden continued to exhibited the strongest annual expansion for a second consecutive month
Summary Overview
Online recruitment activity continued to increase for a fourth consecutive month in May, as employers escalated their hiring activity in advance of the summer period. In addition, there was a marked a turnaround in annual growth, as online job opportunities were above year-earlier levels for the first since October 2008. This suggests that whilst much uncertainty clouds the current economic recovery, the pace of job creation has nonetheless improved from where it was a year ago.
Among industry sectors, education, training and library noted the largest monthly increase, as dictated by the sector’s traditional seasonal recruitment cycle. The uptick in transport, post and logistics reflects a broader increase across Europe in manufacturing and exports, which can be attributed to increased orders as global
economic growth strengthened over recent months.
“The May Index reading is an encouraging sign for current job seekers, as employers appear to be increasing their hiring activity ahead of the summer. While many increases - especially in consumer driven sectors such as arts, entertainment, sports and leisure and sales - can be attributed to seasonal recruitment trends, it will not be until after the seasonal uptrend that we will be able to assess where we are on the road to recovery,” commented Andrea Bertone, head of Monster Europe. “We’re now seeing year-on-year growth for the first time in 19 months, marking a possible point of inflection as employer confidence grows. Increased industrial activity in European exports has also led to an encouraging overall uptick in transport, post and logistics.”
