(RTTNews) - The U.S Monster Employment Index rose to 120 in October from 119 in the previous month, indicating a slight pick-up in online recruitment activity, the latest report by Monster Worldwide said Thursday.

Year-on-year, the index was down 20%, the most moderate rate of fall since October 2008, Monster said.

"The rise in the October Index, along with an improvement in the annual rate, indicate a mild expansion in the underlying employer demand for workers," Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide said.

"While the decline in consumer confidence has likely contributed to reduced job demand in the retail and hospitality sectors, employers are actively recruiting in the healthcare and public sectors, resulting in stability of the overall Index", Harriott added.

Online job demand increased the most in health care and social assistance industry,followed by the public administration sector. Modest gains were also seen in mining, quarrying and oil extraction, manufacturing and utilities. However, job demand fell in the retail sales industry, as also in arts and entertainment, accommodation and food services, and real estate.

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job demand based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of corporate career Web sites and job boards, including Monster.com(R).

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