Press Room

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 6, 2006 – IT workers’ overall confidence improved during the last quarter, according to a recent survey by Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). This increase was driven by more workers expressing optimism in the economy and their personal employment situation. Specifically, the IT Employee Confidence Index, a measure of confidence among IT workers in the U.S., rose to 56.8 during the period between November 2005 and January 2006. In addition, the quarterly Spherion^® IT Employment Report, conducted by Harris Interactive^®, reveals that four of five indices show greater growth among IT workers’ than the U.S. workforce.

Although the U.S. workforce was more confident overall, the percentage of IT workers indicating a desire to look for a new job in the next year surpassed U.S. workers, with 42 percent reporting that they likely to conduct a job search in the next year, compared to 37 percent of the U.S. workforce.

“Job prospects for those looking to enter or currently in the IT field look very optimistic for 2006,” said Brendan Courtney, vice present of Spherion Professional Services. “According to our Report, IT workers’ confidence levels are inching up and I don’t foresee this trend stopping anytime soon. Signs in our own business point toward confidence continuing to climb throughout the year, as we are seeing a high demand for .Net developers and quality assurance analysts. We are also noticing a shift in the job market, as it becomes candidate-driven and retention is being placed on the front burner.”

Employee Confidence Index: The latest IT Employee Confidence Index was 56.8 in the period from November to January, rising 4.4 points from the previous quarter. The quarterly IT Index increased because more workers reported confidence in the economy and in their personal employment situation. During the same period, the U.S. Index increased 3.5 points 59.1.

Macroeconomic Confidence Index: The IT Macroeconomic Confidence Index was 42.5 for the last quarter, compared to 34.5 between August and October 2005. This rise in confidence was due to more IT workers expressing optimism in the availability of jobs and the strength of the economy. The Index level is still 1.8 points lower than the U.S. Index, but grew at a faster pace this quarter.

• More IT Workers Confident in Job Availability: 43 percent of IT workers believe fewer jobs are available, a 10 percentage point increase from the fall of 2005. At the same time, 27 percent of workers believe more jobs are available, compared to 22 percent in the previous quarter.
• Fewer IT Workers Believe Economy is Weakening: 41 percent of IT workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a 10 percentage point decrease from the period of August-October 2005. In addition, 27 percent of workers believe that economy is strengthening, compared to 20 percent in prior quarter.

Personal Confidence Index: Personal confidence among IT workers inched up to 71.1 for the period between November and January, compared to 70.3 in the previous quarter. Specifically, more IT workers reported confidence in the future of their employer and in their ability to find a new job. Even with this climb in personal confidence, the Index still remains below the U.S., although it grew twice as fast.

• Percentage of IT Workers Confident in Their Employer’s Future Increases: 63 percent of IT workers are confident in the future of their employer, versus 66 percent last quarter. 
• More IT Workers Confident in Ability to Find a Job: 54 percent of IT workers have confidence in their own ability to find a job, up five percentage points from the period of August-October 2005.

Job Security Index: 71 percent of IT workers feel that it is unlikely that they will lose their jobs in the next year, decreasing four percentage points from last quarter.

Job Transition Index: 42 percent of adult workers in IT said they are likely to look for a new job in the next year, rising two percentage points from 40 percent in the fall of 2005. The Index is five percentage points above the U.S. Index.

About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion^® Emerging Workforce^® Series of employment surveys, the quarterly Spherion Information Technology Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends among information technology professionals across the country. Two 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; and the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The survey also measures respondents’ confidence in the strength of the economy, availability of jobs, the future financial health of their employers and their ability to find a new job.

Methodology
The IT 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 8,805 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 680 work in information technology positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between November 1-3, November 8-10, December 5-7, December 12-14, 2005 and January 3-5 and January 10-12, 2006. 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.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 1 percentage point. Sampling error for the results of employed adults who work in information technology positions (n=680) is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The online samples are not probability samples. 

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation is a leader in the staffing industry in North America, providing value-added staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions. Spherion has helped companies improve their bottom line by efficiently planning, acquiring and optimizing talent since 1946. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

About Harris Interactive^®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll^® and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the Company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.

Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe (www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France (www.novatris.com), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online^SM and be invited to participate in future online surveys, go to www.harrispollonline.com.