• by September 1, 2006

On this getaway Friday, the great day before the long Labor Day holiday, our minds turn to the approach of fall, new starts, fresh beginnings, back-to-school, and career goals. Notably then, you might be interested to know that the Monster Employment Index, a gauge of U.S. online job demand, rebounded in August as online recruitment rose.

The Monster Index rose eight points to 173, according to the online recruitment firm, with seven out of nine regions enjoying stronger levels during the month. The index is 31 points, or 22 percent, higher year-over-year. The increase is attributed to back-to-school and back-to-work hiring trends across industries. Job postings typically lag during the summer months.

Monster reports that nationwide, online recruitment demand remains strong, with 45 states and the District of Columbia indicating higher online job availability. Monster says that demand for workers in retail trade, business and finance, and information technology all rose. The index reveals nothing about the online advertising or marketing sectors, however.

But if the latest eMarketer forecast on online video advertising is an indicator, job growth in the interactive sector will be healthy. Of course many agencies report a dearth of digital talent--and salaries are rising fast, particularly for online media and creative talent, as well as interactive designers and Flash developers.

So eMarketer projects that online video advertising could increase significantly by 2007. While online video currently accounts for only a sliver of the $16.7 billion that will be spent on online advertising this year, by 2010, online video ad spending is expected to make up 8 percent of the total $29.4 billion that will be spent on advertising online.

The market researcher says the online video sector is growing faster than any other aspect of online marketing, more than 71 percent this year, according to its projections. "As more TV networks make their content available on the Web, deep-pocketed, traditional marketers will better see online video as a necessary piece of their campaigns," says David Hallerman, eMarketer's senior analyst, in a statement.

Spending for Internet video advertising in the U.S. will reach $640 million by 2007, a dramatic jump from last year's $225 million, according to Hallerman's forecast. And by 2010, advertisers will spend over $2.3 billion on video ads online.

Now, have a great Labor Day weekend!