The Conference Board, which measures print help-wanted ad volumes in 51 major U.S. papers, reported that although the Help-Wanted Advertising Index was up one point to 22 in December 2007 compared to the previous month, it dropped 33 percent compared with December 2006.

The organisation pointed out print recruitment advertising dropped in eight of the nine regions in the United States, where the steepest declines occurred in the Pacific (down 18.9 percent) and South Atlantic (down 16.3 percent). The East North Central region, on the contrary, grew 2.5 percent, Editor & Publisher reported earlier this month.

"The lack of stronger job prospects is resulting in very cautious and nervous consumer attitudes and spending patterns. Meanwhile, with corporate profits no longer rising strongly, business is turning cautious about taking on relatively expensive labour," according to Ken Goldstein, a labour economist for the Conference Board, in a statement, according to E&P.

However, Goldstein said that the data does not point to an overall recession, E&P reported.