Press Room

FORT LAUDERDALE Fla., July 31, 2006 — The confidence of U.S. workers who are in the industrial, manufacturing and construction industries showed further signs of improvement in the second quarter of 2006, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report survey conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The second quarter Industrial, Manufacturing and Construction Employee Confidence Index increased to 53.4, its third consecutive gain.

Every indicator of worker confidence was up or stable, with the exception of the macroeconomic outlook and confidence in employer’s future, both down two percentage points from first quarter. 

Almost three-quarters of these workers (73 percent) reported confidence in the security of their jobs, up four percentage points from the previous quarter. And more than half (57 percent) were confident in their ability to find new jobs. The latter indicator rose five percentage points over the prior quarter for the second consecutive time.

“Workers are feeling more secure in their current jobs, and more confident in their ability to find new jobs if they choose to do so,” said Ralph Henderson, senior vice president of Staffing Services for Spherion. “And we continue to see almost four in 10 (36 percent) indicating a likelihood that they will change jobs in the next 12 months, which is consistent with the overall workforce. This optimism may be fueled, in part, by continuing job growth in the manufacturing and services sectors.”

Employee Confidence Index: The Employee Confidence Index of workers in the industrial, manufacturing and construction industries rose 0.7 percentage points in the second quarter of 2006 over first quarter. The increase was driven by a five-percentage-point rise in the confidence of these workers to find new jobs, which was offset by slight declines in their confidence in the overall economy and their employers’ futures. This sector continues to lag the overall U.S. Index, which declined 0.7 points during the same period.

Methodology
The 2006 Spherion Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive online survey conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 9,022 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 304 work in light industrial, manufacturing and construction positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between April 4-6, April 10-12, May 3-5, May 9-11, June 6-8 and June 14-16, 2006. 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.

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 9,022 U.S. employed adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- one percentage point, and the sampling error for the results of employed adults who work in light industrial, manufacturing and construction positions (n=304) is plus or minus five 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 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 offices 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 375,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America’s largest employers. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven 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 could conceivably 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 subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online, visit www.harrispollonline.com.