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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 25, 2007 — The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, increased 1.1 points to 64 in the second quarter of 2007, according to a recent survey commissioned by Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) and conducted by Harris Interactive®. Overall optimism increased primarily because of workers’ increased confidence in more jobs being available.
Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:
“Although our report shows that more workers in the accounting and finance field are concerned about their ability to find a new job, more workers believe that the industry will continue to add more jobs. In our recruiting and staffing business, we have seen the demand for accounting and finance workers with specific skills in alternative assets and project management continues through the second quarter of 2007,” said Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Spherion® Professional Services Group. “The job market for specialized skills in regards to hedge funds, private equity and structured finance is also growing at a rapid pace and the record number of deals being closed on Wall Street this year is fueling a lot of it. I believe this contributed to why accounting and finance workers believe that more jobs are available, despite their perception of the economy getting weaker.”
| 2Q 2007 Employment Report Results: Accounting & Finance | |||||||
| Accounting & Finance Workers | U.S. Workers | ||||||
| 1 Q 2007 | 2 Q 2007 | % Point Change | 1 Q 2007 | 2 Q 2007 | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 27% | 28% | +1 | 23% | 21% | -2 |
| Staying Same | 45% | 39% | -6 | 40% | 38% | -2 | |
| Getting Weaker | 28% | 33% | +5 | 37% | 41% | +4 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 32% | 34% | +2 | 26% | 26% | 0 |
| Same Amount | 39% | 37% | -2 | 38% | 37% | -1 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 29% | 30% | +1 | 35% | 37% | +2 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 63% | 59% | -4 | 59% | 58% | -1 |
| Neutral | 26% | 27% | +1 | 27% | 27% | 0 | |
| Not Confident | 11% | 13% | +2 | 14% | 14% | 0 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 68% | 69% | +1 | 68% | 67% | -1 |
| Neutral | 22% | 20% | -2 | 22% | 21% | -1 | |
| Not Confident | 10% | 11% | +1 | 10% | 12% | +2 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 10% | 14% | +4 | 11% | 11% | 0 |
| Neutral | 9% | 7% | -2 | 9% | 9% | 0 | |
| Not Likely | 81% | 79% | -2 | 80% | 80% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 34% | 35% | +1 | 36% | 36% | 0 |
| Neutral | 10% | 9% | -1 | 10% | 11% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 57% | 56% | -1 | 54% | 53% | -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.
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.
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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