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New York Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Decreases for Second Month; Fewer Workers Confident About Job Availability
NEW YORK, N.Y., October 18, 2007 – The New York Employee Confidence Index decreased for the second consecutive month, dropping 1.9 points to 55.5 in September. The latest Spherion® Employment Report, the monthly survey of New York workers conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), reveals that more workers are concerned about the number of jobs available, their ability to find a new job and the future of their employers.
Results from the New York Employment Report:
- A quarter of workers (25 percent) say that they are likely to look for a new job, a decrease of twelve percentage points from August.
- Fewer workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, with sixty-one percent of workers reporting they are confident in their job prospects, a drop of five-percentage-points from the previous month.
- Sixty-two percent of workers are confident in the future of their current employer, a decrease of six percentage points from August.
“After reaching a high in July, employee confidence has tapered off to a level which is more consistent with the readings over the past year. The drop may be a result of concern over the sectors that have shed jobs in the past few months,” said Rich Mazelsky, regional vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. “However, there has been job growth across the state in key industries, such as professional and business services, as well as finance and accounting. We anticipate an increase in temporary staffing for the holiday season, so more opportunities should also be available for those looking for short-term employment.”
| September Employment Report Results | New York Workers | U.S. Workers | |||||
| Aug | Sept | % Point Change | Aug | Sept | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 12% | 13% | +1 | 19% | 18% | -1 |
| Staying Same | 44% | 47% | +3 | 36% | 38% | +2 | |
| Getting Weaker | 44% | 40% | -4 | 45% | 44% | -1 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 24% | 19% | -5 | 26% | 26% | 0 |
| Same Amount | 37% | 36% | -1 | 36% | 35% | -1 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 39% | 44% | +5 | 37% | 39% | +2 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 66% | 61% | -5 | 62% | 58% | -4 |
| Neutral | 21% | 29% | +8 | 25% | 27% | +2 | |
| Not Confident | 14% | 10% | -4 | 12% | 15% | +3 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 68% | 62% | -6 | 67% | 64% | -3 |
| Neutral | 21% | 21% | 0 | 20% | 23% | +3 | |
| Not Confident | 11% | 17% | +6 | 13% | 13% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 10% | 10% | 0 | 11% | 11% | 0 |
| Neutral | 10% | 9% | -1 | 9% | 10% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 80% | 81% | +1 | 80% | 79% | -1 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 37% | 25% | -12 | 37% | 33% | -4 |
| Neutral | 14% | 14% | 0 | 11% | 13% | +2 | |
| Not Likely | 49% | 61% | +12 | 52% | 54% | +2 | |
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 September 2007 Spherion® Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive® QuickQuerySM online omnibusconducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 2,897 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 219 are employed in New York (for Aug 2007 n=218), was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between September 4-6 and September 10-12, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where it is 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 2,897 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 New York state sample results would be +/- seven 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.
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 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 375,000 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 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing market research firms 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 North American, European and Asian offices, 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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