Illinois Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Declines in February

CHICAGO, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illinois Employee Confidence Index
decreased 2.8 points to 37.8 in February, according to the latest Spherion(R)
Employment Report. The monthly survey of Illinois workers, conducted by
Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation, shows that, despite
a decrease in overall confidence, more workers are confident in their ability
to find a new job, and the percentage of workers believing fewer jobs are
available decreased.

Results from the Illinois Employment Report:

-- Thirty-seven percent of workers say they are confident in their
ability
to find a new job, an increase of eight percentage points from
January.
-- Sixty-six percent of workers believe they are unlikely to lose their
job in the next year, a decrease of 17 percentage points from
January.
-- Eighty-two percent of those surveyed state that fewer jobs are
available, a six-percentage-point decrease from the previous month.

"With the state's unemployment rate rising and news from the government
indicating that more layoffs may be coming, it is not surprising that our
overall confidence has decreased," explained Michael Ruter, regional director
of Spherion Staffing Services in Illinois. "Although the overall numbers did
decline, we did have a slight increase in those who are confident in their
ability to find a new job, which may be fueled by the belief that the
recently passed stimulus package may create more jobs in the near term."

About the Spherion Employment Report

Methodology

About Harris Interactive

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation is a leading recruiting and staffing company that
provides integrated solutions and breakout specialties 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 650 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion
delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance.
Spherion provides its services to approximately 10,000 customers, from
Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations.
Employing more than 230,000 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 Office Professionals for specialty
administrative personnel; and Spherion Recruitment Process Outsourcing. To
learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

SOURCE Spherion Corporation

Cheryl Hilpert, +1-800-422-3819, cherylhilpert@spherion.com