Press Room

Press Release Archive

California Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Drops 3.1 Points

LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 23, 2009 – Amid reports of continued job loss, the California Employee Confidence Index fell 3.1 points to 37.7 in December, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey of California workers, conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), reveals that more workers believe there are fewer jobs available and have less confidence in their ability to find one. In spite of this, the majority of workers continue to believe that they are unlikely to lose their jobs.

Results from the California Employment Report:

A third (33 percent) of workers are confident in their ability to find new jobs, a decrease of 18 percentage points from November.
Eighty-six percent of workers believe there are fewer jobs available, up seven percentage points from the previous month.
More workers are confident in the future of their current employers. Specifically, seven in ten workers (70 percent) are confident, an increase of five percentage points from November.
Seventy percent of workers believe that they are unlikely to lose their jobs, representing a decrease of eight percentage points from the previous month.

“As 2008 came to a close, the challenges being faced by the economy are certainly making an impact among California workers’ overall confidence,” explained Beth Noseworthy, region vice president for Spherion. “Although times are undoubtedly tough for everyone, California’s state unemployment rate continues to hover above the nation’s average. Despite economists’ expectations of unemployment continuing to rise in 2009, coupled with workers’ concerns about job availability, there are bright spots in today’s labor market for workers to look to for encouragement. Industries such as education, health services and government continue to maintain a steady level of job creation in the face of the declines being seen across other sectors. Even though the job market is challenging, it is important for job seekers keep their heads up and look for opportunities in industries that are poised for growth.”

December 2008 Employment Report Results		California Workers			U.S. Workers
		Nov	Dec	% Point Change	Nov	Dec	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	2%	2%	0	4%	5%	+1
	Staying Same	19%	21%	+2	23%	20%	-3
	Getting Weaker	80%	77%	-3	73%	75%	+2
Job Availability	More Jobs	6%	0%	-6	6%	5%	-1
	Same Amount	15%	14%	-1	21%	17%	-4
	Fewer Jobs	79%	86%	+7	74%	78%	+4
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	51%	33%	-18	43%	39%	-4
	Neutral	27%	36%	+9	33%	33%	0
	Not Confident	22%	31%	+9	25%	28%	+3
Future of Current Employer	Confident	65%	70%	+5	66%	66%	0
	Neutral	20%	21%	+1	23%	23%	0
	Not Confident	15%	9%	-6	11%	11%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	10%	10%	0	13%	15%	+2
	Neutral	12%	19%	+7	12%	13%	+1
	Not Likely	78%	70%	-8	75%	72%	-3
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	41%	36%	-5	35%	33%	-2
	Neutral	6%	15%	+9	10%	12%	+2
	Not Likely	53%	49%	-4	55%	55%	0

About the Spherion Employment Report

Methodology

About Harris Interactive

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.