The level of online job recruitment in the Los Angeles metropolitan area held steady in January according to a survey from MonsterWorldwide.com.

The Los Angeles metro area posted a reading of 104 in January, unchanged from December but down from a peak of 107 in November. An index level of 100 represents the long-term baseline average in online job listings; anything above 100 indicates a strong job market for people seeking work.

The region saw substantial hiring gains in the legal and high tech fields, which were offset by hiring drops in health care, education and physical/social sciences.

However, the Los Angeles area substantially lagged behind the rest of the nation in January. Nationally, the index reached a record 151, indicating very strong growth in online recruiting across a broad spectrum of industries.