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Advanced Technology Employment Index Dips Slightly in July, Remaining Up 25 percent year to year basis
August 31, 2006

OTTAWA (August 31, 2006) - The Advanced Technology Employment index, powered by CATAAlliance and Monster Canada, dipped 4 points in July. This performance follows 2 months of growth in on-line job demand for the Advanced Technology sector.

The Advanced Technology Employment Index provides a monthly measure of on-line job demand and is designed to highlight key labour market trends in Canada. Based on data culled from Monster.ca and other Canadian recruitment Web sites believed to be representative of employer on-line hiring activity nationwide, the Index enables extensive real-time analysis of on-line recruitment trends by occupation, region and major metropolitan areas.

CATA President, John Reid, observed, "The decline in technology on-line recruitment activity can partly be attributed to a seasonal fluctuation, as hiring activity typically slows down during the vacation-heavy summer months, However, the most recent report from Statistics Canada reported no overall job creation during July, and with the annual GDP growth rate slowing, the latest Index findings are consistent with other economic indicators suggesting that Canadian business expansion may be shifting to a more moderate level of growth at the outset of the third quarter. On a year over year basis the Advanced Technology Employment index is up 23 points or 25 percent."

"The Index went down slightly in July, mostly because less job opportunities were created in Information Technology; Sciences; Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical; and Healthcare. But this decline did not affect all the categories of the Index as employers keep advertising on-line for talent workers in Computer services; Consulting services and Telecommunications to support their expansion empowered by the strength of the Canadian economy across those key areas."

The Index showed:

  • On-line job availability for Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical, Sciences, and Information Technology occupations dipped, reflecting weak local recruitment demand in Science, IT and Pharmaceutical sectors.
  • Intensifying on-line job demand for workers in Computers Services, Consulting Services and Telecommunications categories to support the ongoing expansion in high tech sectors has weighted up the overall Index this month.
  • On-line job demand in Engineering lost ground this month, after a sharp increase in the previous month.
  • The following categories had the most job postings for Advanced Technology positions: Information Technology, Engineering, Computers Software, Energy / Utilities, Consulting Services and Telecommunications
  • The following categories had the most new job searches for Advanced Technology positions: Information Technology, Computers Software, Engineering, Computer Hardware, Telecommunications, and Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical
  • Adjusted to total working population, the Advanced Technology Employment Index Canada found the following provinces, to be the top six in terms of on-line job availability during the month of July: Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Manitoba. Note that while the Atlantic Provinces registered strong increases in on-line job demand, recovering from last month's decline, Quebec dipped sharply this month, and Ontario held steady.
  • Over 2,719,950 searches for jobs in Advanced Technologies categories were conducted on Monster.ca in July.

CATA members can request further details, including charts presented in the Advanced Technology Employment Index Executive Summary, by contacting Cathi Malette at cmalette@cata.ca.

"CATA members will gain valuable insights into the competition for skilled IT workers," said John Reid, President of CATAAlliance. "Knowing how much demand currently exists for the different types of IT positions in each province enables hiring managers to proactively adjust their recruitment strategies so that they can lure top talent away from competing employers. We continue to forecast future talent shortages in a highly competitive global talent marketplace."

To help CATA members optimize their recruitment strategies and reduce their time- and cost-to-hire, consultants from Monster Canada will speak at select CATA-hosted events and provide guidance on human resource research into best practices. There they will share more than 12 years of industry best practices that Monster Canada has accumulated since inventing on-line recruiting.

CATA members will also receive a special discount when purchasing select job posting packages with Monster, and secure visibility in front of Canada's largest pool of job seekers.

About Monster Canada
Monster Canada (www.Monster.ca) is Canada's leading career management portal - a bilingual, user-friendly on-line resource that is revolutionizing job seeking and recruitment. Headquartered in Montreal, Monster Canada is part of Monster, the leading global on-line careers and recruitment resource. Monster was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts. Monster has 26 local language and content sites in 24 countries worldwide. Monster is known for connecting quality job seekers at all levels with leading employers across all industries and offers employers innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://recruiter.monster.ca.

About CATAAlliance
Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance) is Canada's leading, most influential and entrepreneurial technology alliance. It is committed to growing the global competitiveness of its members, 80% of which are currently active exporters. The common purpose that unites the membership is CATAAlliance's commitment to members' business growth. With offices across the country, we are focused on the provision of business services and government relations programs that conserve and leverage member resources. Because members are action-oriented businesses, CATAAlliance responds with action when members need specific services or activities. The "Traditional Champion" of Canadian research and development, CATAAlliance's mission is to stimulate "Global Business Growth" through the forces of Canadian innovation and strategic partnership. Visit http://www.cata.ca