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Ohio Employment Report: Employee Confidence Edges Up 0.7 Points

COLUMBUS, Ohio, February 27, 2009 — Despite ongoing job loss, the Ohio Employee Confidence Index continued to inch up in January, climbing 0.7 points to 41.5, according to the latest Spherion® Employment Report. The monthly survey conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), showed that more workers are pessimistic about their job security, although nearly two-thirds of workers remain confident in the future of their current employer.

Results from the Ohio Employment Report:

Fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker, specifically 71 percent versus 77 percent in December.
Twenty-two percent of workers believe it is likely they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, representing an 11 percentage point increase from the previous month.
More workers believe they are likely to make a voluntary job change in the next year. Specifically, 37 percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next year, up 12 percentage points from December.
Sixty-five percent of workers are confident in the future of their current employer, representing a decrease of eight percentage points from the previous month.

“Despite news headlines and key economic indicators continuing to report mounting job loss and waning consumer spending, our latest Ohio Employee Confidence Index reveals that worker confidence slightly increased in January,” said Robert Schulte, Spherion franchise owner in Ohio. “Worker attitudes are likely more positive in reaction to the economic stimulus package and the industries that may be impacted by it, such as manufacturing, construction and financial services. In our business, we are seeing employers take more of a “wait and see” mode, as more businesses implement hiring freezes and the national job report continues to indicate negative job growth.”

January 2009 Employment Report Results		Ohio Workers			U.S. Workers
		Dec	Jan	% Point Change	Dec	Jan	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	4%	8%	+4	5%	7%	+2
	Staying Same	20%	22%	+2	20%	26%	+6
	Getting Weaker	77%	71%	-6	75%	67%	-8
Job Availability	More Jobs	6%	8%	+2	5%	6%	+1
	Same Amount	14%	12%	-2	17%	18%	+1
	Fewer Jobs	80%	80%	0	78%	76%	-2
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	39%	40%	+1	39%	42%	+3
	Neutral	33%	35%	+2	33%	33%	0
	Not Confident	28%	25%	-3	28%	25%	-3
Future of Current Employer	Confident	73%	65%	-8	66%	67%	+1
	Neutral	19%	22%	+3	23%	22%	-1
	Not Confident	9%	13%	+4	11%	11%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	11%	22%	+11	15%	16%	+1
	Neutral	15%	7%	-8	13%	12%	-1
	Not Likely	74%	71%	-3	72%	72%	0
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	25%	37%	+12	33%	34%	+1
	Neutral	12%	12%	0	12%	12%	0
	Not Likely	63%	51%	-12	55%	54%	-1

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 and breakout specialties 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 650 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to approximately 10,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more than 230,000 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.