SHANGHAI , Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- 51job, Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS), a leading provider of integrated human resource services in China , announced today unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2009 ended September 30, 2009 .

Third Quarter 2009 Financial Highlights: -- Total revenues increased 5.1% over Q3 2008 to RMB219.6 million (US$32.2 million), exceeding the Company's guidance range of RMB198 million to RMB208 million -- Gross margin expanded to 62.4% compared with 52.7% in Q3 2008 primarily due to cost control and efficiency measures -- Operating income increased 81.6% over Q3 2008 to RMB40.1 million (US$5.9 million) -- Fully diluted earnings per common share were RMB0.65 (US$0.19 per ADS) -- Excluding share-based compensation expense and the impact of foreign currency translation loss, non-GAAP adjusted fully diluted earnings per common share were RMB0.77 (US$0.22 per ADS), exceeding the Company's guidance range of RMB0.48 to RMB0.58 -- Cash and short-term investments increased to RMB1,173.9 million (US$172.0 million) as of September 30, 2009

Commenting on the results, Rick Yan , President and Chief Executive Officer of 51job, Inc., said, "We saw an improvement in market conditions in the third quarter as recruitment activity and job openings increased compared to the early part of 2009. The uptick in market demand, coupled with our successful efforts this year to realign our cost structure and drive operating efficiency, resulted in significant margin expansion and allowed us to achieve our most profitable quarter ever. With our strong brand, focus on innovation and proven execution capability, we are confident in our leadership position as the premier HR services provider in China ."

Third Quarter 2009 Unaudited Financial Results

Total revenues for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009 were RMB219.6 million (US$32.2 million), an increase of 5.1% from RMB209.0 million for the same quarter in 2008.

Print advertising revenues for the third quarter of 2009 decreased 7.2% to RMB77.1 million (US$11.3 million) compared with RMB83.2 million for the same quarter in 2008. The decrease was primarily due to a lower volume of print advertising pages in 51job Weekly resulting from a decline in market demand, which was largely offset by higher average revenue per page. The estimated number of print advertising pages generated in the third quarter of 2009 decreased 23.6% to 3,213 compared with 4,204 pages in the same quarter in 2008. Although print advertising prices charged in each city have remained relatively stable, overall average revenue per page increased 21.4% over the third quarter of 2008 due to an increase in page volume contribution from cities where print advertising prices are generally higher as compared to the same quarter of the prior year.

Online recruitment services revenues for the third quarter of 2009 were RMB90.1 million (US$13.2 million), representing a 16.0% increase from RMB77.7 million for the same quarter of the prior year. The increase primarily resulted from a greater number of unique employers using the Company's online recruitment services, which was partially offset by lower average revenue per unique employer. Unique employers increased 47.0% to 91,167 in the third quarter of 2009 compared with 62,023 in the same quarter of the prior year driven by greater customer acceptance and usage of online recruitment services. Average revenue per unique employer decreased 21.1% in the third quarter of 2009 due to employers purchasing lower priced products and/or reducing their overall spending on online recruitment services as compared to the same quarter in 2008.