Spherion Survey Shows First Increase in Overall Employee Confidence Index in Nine...

Spherion Survey Shows First Increase in Overall Employee Confidence Index in
Nine Months
Confidence in the Economy Increases Even as Personal Job Security Declines

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Spherion(R)
Employee Confidence Index rose 0.7 points to 46.9 in May, showing the first
increase in nine months. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on
behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN), reflects workers' increasing
confidence in the economy, as more workers report that the economy is getting
stronger in May.
More workers, however, expressed concern about their personal job
security. Seventy-five percent say it is unlikely they will lose their job in
the next 12 months, a decline of three percentage points from the prior month.
Two other key indicators also declined slightly. Sixty-four percent said they
are confident in the future of their current employer, while just over half
(51 percent) express confidence in their ability to find a new job. Both
indicators dropped one percentage point from April.
"While some industries, such as manufacturing, have been performing better
than expected, the simmering fears about job loss persist," said William
Grubbs, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Spherion
Corporation. "Even if they are employed and feel that their employer is doing
well, many people know someone who has been laid off or is struggling and that
insecurity creates a ripple effect, however subtle.
"What's important to keep in mind, however, is that the jobs picture is
multifaceted. While some industries are in decline, others are growing
rapidly. In addition, the prospects for college graduates, although not as
expansive as in past years, are still relatively good. Some regions,
particularly those with colleges and universities, have put a strong focus on
recruiting talent prior to graduation. In turn, these areas have become major
employment centers. Although there may be common threads, people in different
industries or at different stages of their careers will have varied
experiences. Right now, there is no 'one' economy or 'one' job market. These
'mixed messages' are evident in the survey, where workers' views about the
strength of the economy are inching up even as they express doubts about their
own job situation."
Results from the May Spherion Employment Report:
Confidence Level Up for the First Time in 2008: The Spherion Employee
Confidence Index increased for the first time in nine months, rising 0.7
points to 46.9 in May. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their
personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment,
reveals that while workers' personal confidence has declined slightly, their
views of the macroeconomic situation is on the rise.
Details of the Index:
Macroeconomic Confidence:

-- Twelve percent of U.S. adult workers believe there are more jobs
available, unchanged from the previous month.

-- Seven percent of workers report that the economy is getting stronger,
increasing two percentage points from April.

Personal Confidence:

-- Sixty-four percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future
of their current employer, a decrease of one percentage point from
April.

-- The percentage of U.S. adult workers confident in their ability to find
a new job decreased one percentage point to 51 percent in May.

Job Security: Three-quarters of Workers Say it is Unlikely they will Lose
Their Job
-- Seventy-five percent of U.S. workers say it is unlikely they will lose
their jobs in the next 12 months, a decrease of three percentage points
from April.

Job Transition: Percentage of Workers Likely to Look for a New Job
Unchanged
-- Thirty-five percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the
next 12 months, unchanged from the prior 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 May 2008 Spherion Employment Tracker was conducted online within the
United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation between
May 7-9 and May 12-14, 2008 among a U.S. sample of 2,604 employed adults, aged
18 years and older (April 2008 n=2,836). 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.
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. Spherion operates under the following brands:
Spherion Staffing Services Group for administrative, clerical and light
industrial workers; Technisource for technology professionals and solutions;
The Mergis Group for accounting and finance and other professional positions;
Todays Staffing for specialty administrative personnel; and Spherion
Recruitment Process Outsourcing. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a
long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science
and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris
Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and
Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more
information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
SOURCE Spherion Corporation

Kip Havel of Spherion Corporation, +1-800-422-3819, kiphavel@spherion.com