LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 18, 2008 – The California Employee Confidence Index dropped 2.5 points to 50.3 in December, the lowest level seen in the history of this survey, according to the latest Spherion®Employment Report. This month’s survey of California workers, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), indicates that California workers are becoming increasingly less confident in the job market, economy and in their personal employment situation. Despite a drop in overall confidence, the survey revealed that California workers are more likely to search for new jobs in the next 12 months.
Results from the California Employment Report:
-
Sixty-three percent of workers believe the economy is getting weaker, an increase of nine percentage points from November.
-
Thirty-five percent of employees are likely to look for new jobs, up seven percentage points from the previous month.
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Forty-seven percent of California workers believe there to be fewer jobs available, a 10 percentage point increase since November.
“Although we experienced a slight decline in employee confidence in December, employers remain optimistic in their hiring outlook for 2008,” explained Lauren Steel, territory vice president for Spherion. “Despite the rising cost of gas, the decline in the housing market and the weakened economy, we are still continuing to see a steady period of hiring among all job sectors, especially in professional and business services, hospitality and leisure, and manufacturing. Turmoil in the housing market has actually increased demand in the mortgage industry for candidates who have experience with specialty mortgage solutions and reverse mortgages.”
| December Employment Report Results |
California Workers |
U.S. Workers |
| |
Nov |
Dec |
% Point Change |
Nov |
Dec |
% Point Change |
| Economy |
Getting Stronger |
12% |
16% |
+4 |
12% |
12% |
0 |
| Staying Same |
34% |
22% |
-12 |
32% |
30% |
-2 |
| Getting Weaker |
54% |
63% |
+9 |
56% |
58% |
+2 |
| Job Availability |
More Jobs |
21% |
19% |
-2 |
20% |
19% |
-1 |
| Same Amount |
42% |
34% |
-8 |
39% |
37% |
-2 |
| Fewer Jobs |
37% |
47% |
+10 |
41% |
45% |
+4 |
| Ability to Find New Job |
Confident |
53% |
54% |
+1 |
56% |
55% |
-1 |
| Neutral |
25% |
28% |
+3 |
30% |
29% |
-1 |
| Not Confident |
22% |
18% |
-4 |
15% |
17% |
+2 |
| Future of Current Employer |
Confident |
63% |
62% |
-1 |
61% |
64% |
+3 |
| Neutral |
23% |
17% |
-6 |
25% |
23% |
-2 |
| Not Confident |
14% |
20% |
+6 |
14% |
13% |
-1 |
| Likelihood to Lose Job |
Likely |
13% |
13% |
0 |
11% |
13% |
+2 |
| Neutral |
9% |
11% |
+2 |
10% |
9% |
-1 |
| Not Likely |
78% |
76% |
-2 |
79% |
78% |
-1 |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job |
Likely |
28% |
35% |
+7 |
32% |
32% |
0 |
| Neutral |
5% |
12% |
+7 |
10% |
11% |
+1 |
| Not Likely |
67% |
53% |
-14 |
58% |
57% |
-1 |
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 December 2007 Spherion® Employment Report was conducted online within the United by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation between December 3 and 5 and December 10 and 12, 2007 among a U.S. sample of 2,827 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 189 are employed in California (for Nov 2007 n=158). Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of 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 sourced, 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 700 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 more than 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 one of the largest and 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. 
