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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., January 23, 2009 – In spite of the state’s rising unemployment rate, the Florida Employee Confidence Index continued to increase in December, rising two points to 39.2, according to the latest Spherion® Employment Report. The monthly survey of Florida workers, conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation, reveals that more workers are confident in their ability to find a new job and 36 percent reported that they are likely to do so in the next year.
Results from the Florida Employment Report:
- Thirty-six percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next year, an increase of three percentage points from November.
- Seventy-one percent of Florida workers believe the economy is getting weaker, compared to 72 percent in the previous month.
- The percentage of workers that are confident in their ability to find a new job increased by seven percentage points to 42 percent in December.
“Although our latest report shows that workers are overall more confident, by no means does this suggest that they see a silver lining,” said Paula Franco, branch manager for Spherion Staffing Services in Florida. “There are some tremendous challenges that we are still facing as a state and country. It will take some time to work out the kinks, as the earliest recovery is predicted to happen in mid-2009. Although, most economists are pointing towards the end of the year and even into 2010. The education and healthcare sectors continue to show strength and appear to be poised for even more growth as the economy recovers because of market demands. As the number of candidates continues to outgrow the supply of available jobs, those looking for opportunities need to sell themselves more than ever before.”
| December 2008 Employment Report Results | Florida Workers | U.S. Workers | |||||
| Nov | Dec | % Point Change | Nov | Dec | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 2% | 6% | +4 | 4% | 5% | +1 |
| Staying Same | 26% | 22% | -4 | 23% | 20% | -3 | |
| Getting Weaker | 72% | 71% | -1 | 73% | 75% | +2 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 4% | 2% | -2 | 6% | 5% | -1 |
| Same Amount | 15% | 17% | +2 | 21% | 17% | -4 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 81% | 81% | 0 | 74% | 78% | +4 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 35% | 42% | +7 | 43% | 39% | -4 |
| Neutral | 29% | 29% | 0 | 33% | 33% | 0 | |
| Not Confident | 36% | 29% | -7 | 25% | 28% | +3 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 60% | 58% | -2 | 66% | 66% | 0 |
| Neutral | 27% | 29% | +2 | 23% | 23% | 0 | |
| Not Confident | 13% | 14% | +1 | 11% | 11% | 0 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 16% | 18% | +2 | 13% | 15% | +2 |
| Neutral | 20% | 15% | -5 | 12% | 13% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 64% | 67% | +3 | 75% | 72% | -3 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 33% | 36% | +3 | 35% | 33% | -2 |
| Neutral | 19% | 10% | -9 | 10% | 12% | +2 | |
| Not Likely | 48% | 54% | +6 | 55% | 55% | 0 | |
About the Spherion Employment Report
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.
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