Press Room

FORT LAUDERDALE Fla., June 12, 2006 — The confidence of U.S. workers in administrative and clerical positions dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2006 as fewer workers were confident in their personal employment situation and the macroeconomic environment, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The Administrative and Clerical Employee Confidence Index, a measure of workers’ confidence in the economy and their personal prospects, declined one point to 51.9.

The slip in overall confidence may have stemmed from more workers having concerns in their own ability to find a new job and the future of their employers. Despite this doubt, nearly four in 10 (37%) indicated an intention to look for a new position in the next 12 months and the majority of workers remained confident in the security of their jobs.

“The latest Index reading shows a slight drop in workers’ overall confidence,” said Ralph Henderson, senior vice president of Staffing Services for Spherion^®. “High energy prices and a cooling housing market could be having an impact on workers’ confidence levels. Despite this, hiring for administrative and clerical positions remains strong. In addition, the need for knowledge-based workers is expanding beyond high-tech sectors and becoming a staple in administrative and clerical positions, as their list of responsibilities continues to expand.”

Employee Confidence Index: The Administrative and Clerical Employee Confidence Index declined one point in the first quarter of 2006 as fewer workers had confidence in their own ability to find a new job and in the future of their employers. In addition, slightly fewer administrative and clerical workers reported confidence in the strength of the economy and job market. The sector continues to lag the overall U.S. Index, which increased 1.5 points during the same period.

About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion^® Emerging Workforce^® Series of employment surveys, this quarterly Spherion Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends among administrative and clerical workers 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, which measures employees’ overall confidence in the economy, the future of their employer, the availability of jobs, and their ability to find a new job. The Employee Confidence Index is based on those 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 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 9,123 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 834 work in administrative and clerical positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between January 3-5, January 10-12, February 7-9, February 14-16, March 8-10 and March 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.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, it can be said with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- one percentage point. Sampling error for the results of employed adults who work in administrative and clerical positions (n= 834) is plus or minus three 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 more than 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.