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At the same time, workers still have lingering doubts about job creation and the strength of the economy. Fifty-two percent believe more jobs or the same amount of jobs are available, down from 57 percent in July and 38 percent believe the economy is getting weaker, up eight percentage points from six months ago.

"Over the past six months, we have seen continued job growth and economic expansion. During that period, the level of the workforce's personal confidence has remained consistently strong and shows that workers feel very secure with their current job and employer," said Roy Krause, Spherion president and chief executive officer. "However, this confidence will not prohibit them from making a career move, nearly 40 percent are planning to begin a job search and the majority are confident in their ability to find a new position. As more opportunities arise in the strengthening job market, we believe that more workers will act on their intentions to switch jobs, elevating retention to a top HR priority for employers nationwide."

According to the December Spherion Employment Report:

Job Security Index: More then Three-Fourths of Workers Believe Jobs Are Secure

• 76 percent of adult workers feel it is unlikely that their jobs will be eliminated in the next 12 months, versus 77 percent in November and 78 percent six months ago

Job Transition Index: Nearly 40 Percent Likely To Search for a New Job

• 37percent of adult workers in the U.S. said they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, compared to 37 percent last month and 38 percent in July.

Confidence in Job Availability Decreases

• 52 percent of employed adults in the U.S. believe that more jobs or the same amount of jobs are available, compared to 54 percent in November and 57 percent six months ago.

Nearly Two-Thirds Believe Economy is Strengthening or Staying the Same

• 61 percent of adult workers believe the economy is getting stronger or staying the same, unchanged from last month and down nine percentage points from July.

Workers Remain Confident in Future of Employer

• 64 percent of working adults in the U.S. are confident in the future of their employer, compared to 66 percent in November and 65 percent six months ago.

Workers Confidence in Ability to Find New Job Virtually Unchanged

• 56 percent of adults working in the U.S. have confidence in their own ability to find a new job, up one percentage point from November and July.

About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion^® Emerging Workforce^® 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. Two 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; and the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The survey also measures respondents' confidence in the strength of the economy, availability of jobs, the future financial health of their employers and their ability to find a new job.

Methodology
The December 2004 Spherion Employment Report is based on data from the Harris Interactive QuickQuery^SM online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 2,612 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between December 14-16 and December 20-22, 2004 (for November 2004 n=2,977 and for July 2004 n= 2,996). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents’ propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. population of employed adults had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample was not a probability sample.

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation is a leader in the staffing industry in North America, providing value-added staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions. Spherion has helped companies improve their bottom line by efficiently planning, acquiring and optimizing talent since 1946. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

About Harris Interactive^®
Harris Interactive Inc. ( www.harrisinteractive.com), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll^® and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.

Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide (www.wirthlinworldwide.com), a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies.