Online recruitment ‘down in March’

Online recruitment activity fell in March, according to the latest Monster Employment Index.

The company has said that the index dropped five points during the month, following growth figures during February.

A drop in online job availability in the HR sector was cited as a reason for the fall in the index to 187 points during March, but a 25 per cent rise year-on-year was noted.

"The financial sector shows fewer opportunities than last year amid continued turmoil in the banking sector, but prospects for growth across most other UK industries still appear favourable," said Hugo Sellert, head of economic research for Monster Worldwide.

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Mr Sellert added that the first quarter of 2008 saw "strong growth in online job demand", despite what Monster referred to as a notable drop in demand for craft and related workers during March.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation recently released the Key Recruitment Trends 2007 report, which highlighted that recruitment agencies were "shock absorbers" when it comes to the current job market uncertainty.