Snow Job? Workers use snow days from Blizzard of 2015 to hunt for jobs

WESTON, Mass., Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It turns out that while most companies shut down in the North East early this week for Winter Storm Juno, many of us were still thinking about work — just not our current jobs.

According to search data from Monster, in cities where forecasters predicted several feet of snow — but the storm ultimately delivered inches or less — people used the unexpected day off from work to look for a new job. Searches for jobs in New York City — which received less than 10 inches of snow, according to The Weather Channel — were up 40% over the previous Tuesday. In Philadelphia, where they expected a foot of snow and received just a dusting in some areas, job searches were up 45%. And nearby to New York City, in White Plains, job searches spiked by 72% week-over-week.

Conversely, if you had the day off and did get the predicted amount of snow — in places like Boston and Worcester, Mass. or Rhode Island — it appears your hunt for a new job took a backseat to digging out. Job searches in Providence, R.I. dropped 32%; Boston dropped 43%; and Worcester dropped 64%.

Beyond just geographical increases in job searches, an analysis of keyword searches on Monster also provided some interestig tidbits, highlighting how teachers who ordinarily would be standing in front of a classroom took to Monster to see how they might Find Better. Searches for "teacher" increased 173% and it seems people don't want to go back into the office at all, as searches for "remote" saw an 87% spike, while "telecommute" increased 56%.

With so many stranded travelers, the hotel industry was likely operating at full capacity. Workers there seemed unable to take time to look for a new job – searches for "hotel industry" were down 39%.

"It's quite interesting to see how a weather event like this can impact job searches so significantly," said Joanie Courtney, Senior Vice President, Market Development at Monster. "I am pleased to see that regardless of why people are looking for jobs, Monster can help them find better."

About Monster Worldwide
Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW), is a global leader in successfully connecting job opportunities and people. Monster uses the world's most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social and mobile solutions including monster.com®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network.  Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities globally. For more information visit monster.com/about.

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SOURCE Monster Worldwide, Inc.

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