FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 2, 2007 — The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among accounting and finance workers in the U.S., dropped 1.7 points to 62.9 in the first quarter of 2007, according to a recent survey commissioned by SpherionCorporation (NYSE:SFN) and conducted by Harris Interactive®. Overall optimism declined primarily because fewer workers believe the economy is getting stronger and the percentage of workers reporting confidence in the future of their employer declined.
Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:
-
Fewer accounting and finance workers believe the economy is strengthening. Specifically, 27 percent reported that the economy is getting stronger versus 30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006.
-
Sixty-three percent of workers expressed confidence in their ability to find a new job, showing no change from the fourth quarter.
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The number of workers reporting confidence in the future of their employer decreased three percentage points to 68 percent in the first quarter.
“The demand that was seen last year for accounting and finance workers has certainly not let up,” said Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Professional Services for Spherion®. “It’s an extremely competitive time to be searching for skilled talent. Employers are grabbing onto top performers as quickly as possible and as a result, they are upping the ante by increasing wages, offering signing bonuses and very attractive career paths. This sort of urgency is being seen in most accounting and finance positions, with the job market for internal auditors, project managers, financial analysts and staff accountants being particularly hot. Many qualified accounting and finance workers in these positions have the luxury of choosing when and where they want to work.”
| 1Q 2007 Employment Report Results: Accounting & Finance |
| |
Accounting & Finance Workers |
U.S. Workers |
| |
4Q 2007
|
1Q 2007 |
% Point Change |
4Q 2007 |
1Q 2007 |
% Point Change |
| Economy |
Getting Stronger |
30% |
27% |
-3 |
25% |
23% |
-2
|
| Staying Same |
41%
|
45%
|
+4 |
40% |
40% |
0 |
| Getting Weaker |
29% |
28% |
-1 |
36% |
37% |
+1 |
| Job Availability |
More Jobs |
31% |
32% |
+1 |
27% |
26% |
-1 |
| Same Amount |
38% |
39% |
+1 |
37% |
38% |
+1 |
| Fewer Jobs |
31% |
29% |
-2 |
36% |
35% |
-1 |
| Ability to Find New Job |
Confident |
63% |
63% |
0 |
59% |
59% |
0 |
| Neutral |
27% |
26% |
-1 |
26% |
27% |
+1 |
| Not Confident |
10% |
11% |
+1 |
14% |
14% |
0 |
| Future of Current Employer |
Confident |
71% |
68% |
-3 |
65% |
65% |
0 |
| Neutral |
21% |
22% |
+1 |
23% |
23% |
0 |
| Not Confident |
8% |
10% |
+2 |
13% |
12% |
-1 |
| Likelihood to Lose Job |
Likely |
9% |
10% |
+1 |
11% |
11% |
0 |
| Neutral |
5% |
9% |
+4 |
10% |
9% |
-1 |
| Not Likely |
86% |
81% |
-5 |
79% |
80% |
+1 |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job |
Likely |
37% |
34% |
-3 |
36% |
36% |
0 |
| Neutral |
11% |
10% |
-1 |
10% |
10% |
0 |
| Not Likely |
52% |
57% |
+5 |
53% |
54% |
+1 |
About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion® Emerging Workforce® Series of employment surveys, the quarterly Accounting & Finance Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends among accounting and finance professionals across the country. 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 and is scaled from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.
Methodology
The 2007 Spherion® Accounting & Finance Employment Report for the fourth quarter is based on data from a Harris Interactive® online survey conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 11,187 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 541 work in accounting and finance positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between January 3-5, January 8-10, February 5-7, February 12-14, March 5-7 and March 12-14, 2007.Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them in line with actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents’ propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, it can be said with 95 percent certainty that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- one percentage point. Sampling error for the results of employed adults who work in work in accounting and finance positions (n=541) would be plus or minus four percentage points. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no 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 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 650 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 nearly 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 TimeSM, at www.spherion.com/careerblog.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm 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 United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, 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.
