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Florida Employment Report: Overall Worker Confidence Rebounds; Nearly 40 Percent of Workers Likely to Search For New Job

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 18, 2007 – The Florida Employee Confidence Index rebounded in April, rising 3.8 points to 59.8, according to the latest Spherion® Employment Report. The monthly survey of Florida workers, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), shows that more workers are optimistic about the strength of the economy and confident in their ability to find new employment.

Results from the Florida Employment Report:

  • Thirty-seven percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, increasing seven percentage points from March.

  • More workers are confident in their ability to find new employment. Sixty-five percent of workers are confident they will be able to find a new job in the next 12 months, rising five percentage points from the previous month.

  • Twenty-one percent of workers believe the economy is getting stronger, compared to 14 percent in March.  
“The Florida job market remains tight, despite the recent jobs report stating that fewer U.S. jobs were created in April,” said Paula Franco, branch manager of Florida for Spherion Staffing Services. “Although many economists suggest that the economy is slowing, this has not taken away from the continuous need for top talent. If anything, this reinforces just how competitive the job market really is and gives skilled workers a tremendous amount of negotiating power. With nearly 40 percent of workers indicating a desire to look for new employment in the next year, my advice for job seekers is to sharpen their resumes, their skills and to take advantage of networking opportunities.”

April Employment Report Results  Florida Workers U.S.  Workers
   Mar Apr  % Point Change   Mar Apr  % Point Change 
Economy Getting Stronger 14%  21%  +7  17%  19%  +2 
Staying Same 36%  38%  +2  42%  39%  -3 
Getting Weaker 50%  41%  -9  41%  42%  +1 
Job Availability More Jobs 30%  31%  +1  24%  25%  +1 
Same Amount 29%  32%  +3  40%  36%  -4 
Fewer Jobs 41%  37%  -4  36%  38%  +2 
Ability to Find New Job Confident 60%  65%  +5  58%  57%  -1 
Neutral 24%  23%  -1  28%  29%  +1 
Not Confident 16%  11%  -5  15%  14%  -1 
Future of Current Employer Confident 65%  60%  -5  58%  57%  -1 
Neutral 21%  29%  +8  25%  23%  -2 
Not Confident 14%  11%  -3  13%  11%  -2 
Likelihood to Lose Job Likely 9%  10%  +1  10%  11%  +1 
Neutral 5%  12%  +7  9%  11%  +2 
Not Likely 86%  78%  -8   80% 78%  -2 
Likelihood to Look for New Job Likely 30%  37%  +7  33%  35%  +2 
Neutral 11%  9%  -2  13%  11%  -2 
Not Likely 60%  54%  -6  54%  54%  0 

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. 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 April 2007 Spherion® Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive® QuickQuerySM online survey conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,190 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 154 are employed in Florida (for Mar 2007 n=139), was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between April 4-6 and April 9-11, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where 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 3,190 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 Florida state sample results would be plus or minus eight 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.

 

 

 

FL- Employment-Report-Apr07-PDF
Click here for a PDF of the Report (83 KB)
 

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Lesly Cardec

954.308.6302

 

leslycardec@sfngroup.com

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