Spherion Employee Confidence Index Slips to Its Lowest Level this Year;
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The number of U.S.
workers expressing confidence in the economy and in their personal employment
situation continued its decline in November, according to a recent survey from
Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) of 3,014 working adults. The Spherion(R)
Employee Confidence Index, a monthly gauge of overall worker confidence,
decreased by 3.5 points to 52.9 in November, its lowest level seen this year.
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion, reveals
that fewer workers believe there are more jobs available and that the economy
is getting stronger. Despite this, more than three-quarters of workers believe
it is unlikely that they will lose their job in the next 12 months.
According to the survey, the percentage of workers who expressed
confidence in their own job security increased two percentage points from 77
percent in October to 79 percent in November, while the percentage of workers
who felt confident in the future of their current employer decreased four
percentage points from October to 61 percent. Nearly one-third of workers, or
32 percent, reported that it was likely that they would seek new jobs in the
next 12 months, a decrease of two percentage points from last month.
"It appears that the volatile stock market, credit situation, housing
slowdown and continued anxiety over fuel prices may be fueling apprehension
among workers," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of
Spherion Corporation. "Though this month's Index decreased, data aggregated
from specific survey questions indicate a clear majority of workers remain
optimistic and confident about their own job security and the future of their
current employer. Furthermore, the data shows that slightly fewer workers
intend to seek new jobs in the next 12 months, which is could be good news for
employers focused on retaining top performers. When considered along with a
comparatively low 4.7 percent unemployment rate and continued job growth in
industries such as professional services, healthcare and hospitality, we
believe that the overall job market remains strong."
Results from the November Spherion Employment Report:
Confidence Levels Hit Lowest Level of the Year: The Spherion Employee
Confidence Index dropped to its lowest level this year, decreasing 3.5 points
to 52.9 in November. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their
personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment,
reveals that more workers were apprehensive about the economy, job market and
the future of their current employers.
Details of the Index:
Macroeconomic Confidence:
-- 12 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting
stronger, compared to 17 percent in the previous month.
-- The percentage of U.S. adult workers who believe that more jobs are
available decreased by four percentage points to 20 percent in
November.
Personal Confidence:
-- 61 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of
their current employer, a decrease of four percentage points from 65
percent in October.
-- The percentage of U.S. adult workers confident in their own ability
to find a new job fell two percentage points from last month to 56
percent in November.
Job Security: More Workers Believe it is Unlikely they will Lose Their Job
-- 79 percent of U.S. workers believe that it is unlikely that they
will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, an increase of two
percentage points from October.
Job Transition: Fewer Workers Likely to Look for a New Job
-- 32 percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next
12 months, compared to 34 percent in the previous month.
About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion(R) Emerging Workforce(R) Series of employment
surveys, the monthly Spherion Employment Report provides a snapshot of the
latest workforce trends across the country and is issued in conjunction with
state and national labor market releases. Three key indices are measured: the
Spherion Job Security Index, which captures how likely respondents think it is
that they will lose their job or that their job will be eliminated in the next
12 months; the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely
respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months and the Employee
Confidence Index that measures employees' overall confidence in the economy,
their employer and their ability to find other employment. The Employee
Confidence Index is calculated from the results of four components that
reflect these aspects of employee confidence. For each component item a
'score' is calculated by taking the difference of the percentage of positive
responses and the percentage of negative responses. These four scores are then
averaged to indicate an overall level of employee confidence, with each score
ranking on a scale from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A
reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.
Methodology
This November 2007 Spherion Employment Tracker was conducted online within
the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation
between November 6-8 and November 12-14, 2007 among a U.S. sample of 3,014
employed adults, aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for
age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region. Propensity score
weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not
possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error,
error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and
response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris
Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All
that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different
probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates.
These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this
ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed
to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to
reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is
based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris
Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error
can be calculated.
About Spherion
Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing
company that provides integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of
companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for more than 60 years,
Spherion has sourced, screened and placed millions of individuals in
temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs. Positions range from
administrative and light industrial to a host of professions that include
accounting/finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, legal,
human resources and sales/marketing.
With approximately 700 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion
delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance.
Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500
companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more
than 300,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North
America's largest employers. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com . For
up-to-date career tips and trends, visit Spherion's career blog, The Big
Time(SM), at www.spherion.com/careerblog .
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing
market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research,
insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident
decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance.
Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest
running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research
methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest
panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves
clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and
through a global network of independent market research firms. More
information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at
www.harrisinteractive.com .
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate
in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com .
SOURCE Spherion Corporation
Kip Havel of Spherion Corporation, +1-800-422-3819, kiphavel@spherion.com
Visit DiversityJobs.com for information on Diversity in the workplace
workers expressing confidence in the economy and in their personal employment
situation continued its decline in November, according to a recent survey from
Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) of 3,014 working adults. The Spherion(R)
Employee Confidence Index, a monthly gauge of overall worker confidence,
decreased by 3.5 points to 52.9 in November, its lowest level seen this year.
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion, reveals
that fewer workers believe there are more jobs available and that the economy
is getting stronger. Despite this, more than three-quarters of workers believe
it is unlikely that they will lose their job in the next 12 months.
According to the survey, the percentage of workers who expressed
confidence in their own job security increased two percentage points from 77
percent in October to 79 percent in November, while the percentage of workers
who felt confident in the future of their current employer decreased four
percentage points from October to 61 percent. Nearly one-third of workers, or
32 percent, reported that it was likely that they would seek new jobs in the
next 12 months, a decrease of two percentage points from last month.
"It appears that the volatile stock market, credit situation, housing
slowdown and continued anxiety over fuel prices may be fueling apprehension
among workers," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of
Spherion Corporation. "Though this month's Index decreased, data aggregated
from specific survey questions indicate a clear majority of workers remain
optimistic and confident about their own job security and the future of their
current employer. Furthermore, the data shows that slightly fewer workers
intend to seek new jobs in the next 12 months, which is could be good news for
employers focused on retaining top performers. When considered along with a
comparatively low 4.7 percent unemployment rate and continued job growth in
industries such as professional services, healthcare and hospitality, we
believe that the overall job market remains strong."
Results from the November Spherion Employment Report:
Confidence Levels Hit Lowest Level of the Year: The Spherion Employee
Confidence Index dropped to its lowest level this year, decreasing 3.5 points
to 52.9 in November. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their
personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment,
reveals that more workers were apprehensive about the economy, job market and
the future of their current employers.
Details of the Index:
Macroeconomic Confidence:
-- 12 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting
stronger, compared to 17 percent in the previous month.
-- The percentage of U.S. adult workers who believe that more jobs are
available decreased by four percentage points to 20 percent in
November.
Personal Confidence:
-- 61 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of
their current employer, a decrease of four percentage points from 65
percent in October.
-- The percentage of U.S. adult workers confident in their own ability
to find a new job fell two percentage points from last month to 56
percent in November.
Job Security: More Workers Believe it is Unlikely they will Lose Their Job
-- 79 percent of U.S. workers believe that it is unlikely that they
will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, an increase of two
percentage points from October.
Job Transition: Fewer Workers Likely to Look for a New Job
-- 32 percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next
12 months, compared to 34 percent in the previous month.
About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion(R) Emerging Workforce(R) Series of employment
surveys, the monthly Spherion Employment Report provides a snapshot of the
latest workforce trends across the country and is issued in conjunction with
state and national labor market releases. Three key indices are measured: the
Spherion Job Security Index, which captures how likely respondents think it is
that they will lose their job or that their job will be eliminated in the next
12 months; the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely
respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months and the Employee
Confidence Index that measures employees' overall confidence in the economy,
their employer and their ability to find other employment. The Employee
Confidence Index is calculated from the results of four components that
reflect these aspects of employee confidence. For each component item a
'score' is calculated by taking the difference of the percentage of positive
responses and the percentage of negative responses. These four scores are then
averaged to indicate an overall level of employee confidence, with each score
ranking on a scale from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A
reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.
Methodology
This November 2007 Spherion Employment Tracker was conducted online within
the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation
between November 6-8 and November 12-14, 2007 among a U.S. sample of 3,014
employed adults, aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for
age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region. Propensity score
weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not
possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error,
error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and
response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris
Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All
that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different
probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates.
These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this
ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed
to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to
reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is
based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris
Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error
can be calculated.
About Spherion
Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing
company that provides integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of
companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for more than 60 years,
Spherion has sourced, screened and placed millions of individuals in
temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs. Positions range from
administrative and light industrial to a host of professions that include
accounting/finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, legal,
human resources and sales/marketing.
With approximately 700 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion
delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance.
Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500
companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more
than 300,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North
America's largest employers. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com . For
up-to-date career tips and trends, visit Spherion's career blog, The Big
Time(SM), at www.spherion.com/careerblog .
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing
market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research,
insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident
decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance.
Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest
running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research
methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest
panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves
clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and
through a global network of independent market research firms. More
information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at
www.harrisinteractive.com .
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate
in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com .
SOURCE Spherion Corporation
Kip Havel of Spherion Corporation, +1-800-422-3819, kiphavel@spherion.com
Visit DiversityJobs.com for information on Diversity in the workplace
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