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LOS ANGELES, Calif., September 19, 2008 – The California Employee Confidence Index increased 2.5 points to 46.5 in August, increasing for the second month in a row, according to the latest Spherion® Employment Report. The monthly survey of California workers, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), shows that more workers believe the economy is staying the same and more workers are confident in their ability to find a new job.
Results from the California Employment Report:
- Three out of 10 workers believe the economy is staying the same, representing a 15 percentage-point increase from the previous month.
- Sixty-four percent of workers believe that there are fewer jobs available versus 69 percent in July.
- More than half (55 percent) of workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, an increase of three percentage points from the previous month.
- Forty-five percent of workers are not likely to look for new jobs in the next 12 months, compared to 57 percent in July.
“We are happy to see that the Index has continued its upward movement in August,” explained Lauren Steel, territory vice president for Spherion. “Recent declines in the prices of food and oil appear to have influenced California workers’ optimism. Although the economy has softened over the last few months, more workers are indicating that they believe the economy has stabilized. As we approach the fourth quarter of 2008, we are beginning to see an increase in hiring for the entertainment and non-clinical healthcare industries. We are also experiencing a strong demand for experienced candidates in administrative, clerical, finance and accounting positions.”
| August 2008 Employment Report Results | California Workers | U.S. Workers | |||||
| July | August | % Point Change | July | August | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 6% | 6% | 0 | 5% | 8% | +3 |
| Staying Same | 15% | 30% | +15 | 21% | 27% | +6 | |
| Getting Weaker | 79% | 64% | -15 | 74% | 65% | -9 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 5% | 9% | +4 | 10% | 11% | +1 |
| Same Amount | 26% | 28% | +2 | 28% | 29% | +1 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 69% | 64% | -5 | 62% | 60% | -2 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 52% | 55% | +3 | 49% | 51% | +2 |
| Neutral | 30% | 29% | -1 | 31% | 31% | 0 | |
| Not Confident | 19% | 15% | -4 | 20% | 18% | -2 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 66% | 57% | -9 | 66% | 65% | -1 |
| Neutral | 25% | 30% | +5 | 22% | 23% | -1 | |
| Not Confident | 9% | 13% | +4 | 12% | 11% | -1 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 19% | 14% | -5 | 13% | 13% | 0 |
| Neutral | 11% | 17% | +6 | 11% | 12% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 71% | 69% | -2 | 76% | 76% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 34% | 36% | +2 | 33% | 37% | +4 |
| Neutral | 9% | 19% | +10 | 11% | 12% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 57% | 45% | -12 | 56% | 51% | -5 | |
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 August 2008 Spherion® Employment Report was conducted online within the United by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation between August 6 and 8 and August 12 and 14, 2008 among a U.S. sample of 2,861 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 179 are employed in California (for July 2008 n=258). 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.
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. Spherion operates under the following brands: Spherion Staffing Services Group for administrative, clerical and light industrial workers; Technisource for technology professionals and solutions; The Mergis Group for accounting and finance and other professional positions; Todays Office Professionals for specialty administrative personnel; and Spherion Recruitment Process Outsourcing. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
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