Online Job Availability Declines for Second Month

The latest edition of the Monster Employment Index UK, which provides monthly insight into online recruitment trends, was released earlier today.

• The index dipped to 107 in September, a two point drop from August’s 109 and down 33% year-on-year from 159 in September 2008.
• None of the nine UK regions registered an increase in online hiring. Demand fell most in North England (down three points, or two percent) and the South West (down three points, or two percent). Job opportunities fell in Wales for the fourth consecutive month.
• The Telecommunication sector showed the largest growth month-on-month, rising to 66 in September, a 10% increase from August’s 60. Still 28% below the 92 recorded in September 2008.
• Health care, social work nudged down six points to 323 in September from August’s 329. However, that is still a 61% increase on the 201 recorded in September 2008.
• Opportunities for skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers bounced back in September rising 21 points to 174 from August’s 153 and slightly higher than the 173 recorded in July 2009.

Commenting on the latest figures, Hugo Sellert, head of economic research at Monster Worldwide, said,

“Hiring among UK companies remains worryingly stagnant. As long as the macroeconomic outlook is uncertain, companies will remain reticent to hire workers, which in itself could slow the actual recovery”.

Stephen Rose, founder of in:specie™ and author of “Recession 2008: The First of Many”, remarked,

“Even with the recent slow down in an ever-expanding public sector, which may be more about appeasing tax paying voters than actually halting the all-consuming monolith, public sector indices are considerably up on the year. The private sector, which is actually responsible for generating the revenue which the public sector devours, is still markedly down. Meanwhile, the UK index continues to stagnate.

If the act of replacing real jobs with government non-jobs can only achieve stagnation in the index, it does not bode well for the private sector, actual tax payers or the country as a whole as the secular bull in unemployment continues.

Data: Monster Worldwide Employment Index UK September 2009 [PDF].

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