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LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 20, 2007 – The California Employee Confidence Index decreased 2.4 points to 59.1 in March, according to the latest Spherion® Employment Report. The latest survey of California workers, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), shows that fewer workers are optimistic about the strength of the economy, and more workers believe that there are fewer jobs available.
Results from the California Employment Report:
-
Forty percent of workers believe that the economy is getting
weaker, an increase of nine percentage points from February. -
Thirty-three percent of employees believe fewer jobs are
available, a three percentage point rise from last month. -
The percentage of workers who believe they are unlikely to lose
their job increased by eight percentage points from 74 percent
in February to 82 percent in March.
“Over the past six or seven months, we have witnessed a rollercoaster
in our Index numbers, partly propelled by workers fluctuating
attitudes about the strength of the economy,” explained Lauren Steel,
territory vice president for Spherion. “Unemployment in the state
has remained constant and job growth continues to be strong, so the
continued decrease in overall confidence is somewhat puzzling.
Specialized contractors and temporary employees looking for long-term
projects are in high demand, and we are seeing companies
across the board looking for skilled employees, especially in biomedical
and electronic assembly fields."
| March Employment Report Results | |||||||
| California Workers | U.S. Workers | ||||||
| Feb | Mar | % Point Change | Feb | Mar | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 21% | 15% | -6 | 24% | 17% | -7 |
| Staying Same | 48% |
45% |
-3 | 42% | 42% | 0 | |
| Getting Weaker | 31% | 40% | +9 | 34% | 41% | +7 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 28% | 26% | -2 | 28% | 24% | -4 |
| Same Amount | 42% | 41% | -1 | 37% | 40% | +3 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 30% | 33% | +3 | 35% | 36% | +1 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 61% | 63% | +2 | 60% | 58% | -2 |
| Neutral | 27% | 25% | -2 | 27% | 28% | +1 | |
| Not Confident | 13% | 11% | -2 | 13% | 15% | +2 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 65% | 64% | -1 | 65% | 63% | -2 |
| Neutral | 26% | 25% | -1 | 22% | 25% | +3 | |
| Not Confident | 10% | 11% | +1 | 13% | 13% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 10% | 6% | -4 | 10% | 10% | 0 |
| Neutral | 16% | 12% | -4 | 10% | 9% | -1 | |
| Not Likely | 74% | 82% | +8 | 80% | 80% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 37% | 33% | -4 | 36% | 33% | -3 |
| Neutral | 7% | 15% | +8 | 10% | 13% | +3 | |
| Not Likely | 56% | 52% | -4 | 54% | 54% | 0 | |
About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of theEmerging 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. 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, which measures employees’ overall confidence in the economy, the future of their employer, the availability of jobs, and their ability to find other employment. The Employee Confidence Index is based on these four components, with a ‘score’ calculated for each 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 scaled from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.
Methodology
The March 2007 Spherion® Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive® QuickQuerySM online omnibus conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,044 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 297 are employed in California (for Feb 2007 n=304), was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between March 5 and 7 and March 12 and 14, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where it is necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents’ propensity to be online.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 3,044 U.S. employed adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- two percentage points, and the sampling error for the California state sample results would be +/- six 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.
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.
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.
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