Press Room

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 1, 2007 PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The majority of U.S. workers remained confident in their personal job situations, even though macroeconomic confidence dropped in May, according to a recent survey of 3,422 working adults. The Spherion^® Employee Confidence Index, a monthly gauge of overall worker confidence, decreased 0.3 points to 57.5 in May. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN), shows 59 percent of workers are confident in their ability to find a new job and 65 percent are confident about their employers' future prospects.

However, the survey showed that the percentage of workers who believe the economy is weakening rose two percentage points to 44 percent and only 23 percent believe that there are more jobs available now, a decline of two percentage points from April. Despite a decrease in macroeconomic confidence, 78 percent reported it was unlikely they would lose their job in the next 12 months, showing no change from April.

"At the beginning of the year, we saw an increased level of confidence in the economy which dropped off considerably in March amid growing concerns about job creation and economic expansion," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of Spherion. "Since then, macroeconomic confidence hasn't rebounded, especially as gas prices hit record levels and household debt rises. However, we haven't seen these concerns significantly impact hiring plans for employers. Demand for skilled workers, both on a direct hire and temporary basis has remained steady throughout the year. Employers have been cautious in their plans for workforce expansion over the past few years and this allows them to remain nimble and able to add more workers as demand warrants."

Results from the May Spherion Employment Report:

Employee Confidence Index: Worker Confidence Levels Dip Slightly The Employee Confidence Index was largely unchanged in May, decreasing 0.3 points to 57.5 in May from 57.8 in April. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, shows that more workers had concerns about the economy and job market. The Index is 1.2 points lower than the level reported in May 2006.

• Macroeconomic Confidence Index Decreases: The Macroeconomic Confidence
  Index decreased one point to 40.2 in May, as fewer workers reported
  optimism in job availability and more workers reported concern with the
  strength of the economy. The Index level is 1.9 points lower than a
  year ago.
  
  Specific findings from the Macroeconomic Confidence Index include:
  • 44 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting
    weaker, rising two percentage points from the previous month.
  • 23 percent of U.S. adult workers believe that more jobs are
    available, down two percentage points from April.

• Personal Confidence Index Rises: The Personal Confidence Index slightly
  rose 0.4 points to 74.9 in May, as more workers were confident in their
  ability to find a new job. The Index is 0.4 points below the level
  recorded in May 2006.
  
      Specific findings from the Personal Confidence Index include:
  • 65 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of
    their current employer, compared to 66 percent in the previous
    month.
  • 59 percent of U.S. adult workers have confidence in their own
    ability to find a new job, a two-percentage-point increase from
    April.

Job Security Index: Worker Confidence in Their Job Security Remains Stable
   - For the second consecutive month, 78 percent of the U.S. workforce
     believes that it is unlikely that they will lose their jobs in the next
     twelve months. The Job Security Index is at the same level recorded one
     year ago.

Job Transition Index: 34 Percent of Workers Plan to Look for New Jobs
   - The Job Transition Index fell by one percentage point in May, with 34
     percent of U.S. adult workers admitting it was likely they would seek
     new employment in the next year.

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 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, with each score ranking on a scale from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.

Methodology
The May 2007 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 3,422 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between May 7-9 and May 15-17, 2007 (April 2007 n= 3,190). 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.

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 3,422 U.S. employed adults, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 2 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 http://www.spherion.com/. For up- to-date career tips and trends, visit Spherion's career blog, The Big Time^(SM), at http://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 http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://www.harrispollonline.com/.

SOURCE: Spherion

CONTACT: Kip Havel of Spherion, +1-800-422-3819, kiphavel@spherion.com

Web site: http://www.spherion.com/
http://www.spherion.com/careerblog
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://www.harrispollonline.com/