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Ohio Employment Report: Employee Confidence Dips 0.8 Points in March

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 17, 2009 —The Ohio Employee Confidence Index dipped 0.8 points to 38.4 in March, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), reveals that more workers are confident in the future of their current employer and more are likely to job search in the next 12 months.

Results from the Ohio Employment Report:

Sixty-seven percent of workers are confident in the future of their current employer, an increase of three percentage points from February.
Forty-one percent of workers are likely to make a job transition in the next 12 months, showing an increase of five percentage points from the previous month.
Fewer workers believe that it is not likely they will lose their jobs over the next 12 months. Specifically, 63 percent versus 71 percent in February.
Twenty-nine percent of workers are confident in their ability to find a new job compared to 34 percent the previous month.

“The slight dip in the March Index is inline with where we anticipated the Index to be this month. With the Ohio unemployment rate hovering above the U.S. jobless rate, I anticipate further decreases in upcoming months,” said Robert Schulte, Spherion franchise owner in Ohio. “Companies and workers alike are continuing to take cost-saving measures to sustain themselves in this economic climate. We are advising job seekers to look toward counter cyclical segments of the job market and industries that are anticipating growth as a result of recently passed stimulus programs and the new administration’s focus on healthcare, energy, technology and education”.

March 2009 Employment Report Results		Ohio Workers			U.S. Workers
		Feb	Mar	% Point Change	Feb	Mar	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	6%	4%	-2	6%	6%	0
	Staying Same	20%	26%	+6	24%	26%	+2
	Getting Weaker	74%	70%	-4	70%	68%	-2
Job Availability	More Jobs	9%	2%	-7	5%	5%	0
	Same Amount	6%	17%	+11	17%	16%	-1
	Fewer Jobs	85%	81%	-4	79%	78%	-1
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	34%	29%	-5	38%	39%	+1
	Neutral	39%	39%	0	34%	35%	+1
	Not Confident	27%	32%	+5	27%	26%	-1
Future of Current Employer	Confident	64%	67%	+3	63%	66%	+3
	Neutral	24%	21%	-3	24%	22%	-2
	Not Confident	12%	12%	0	14%	13%	-1
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	18%	18%	0	17%	18%	+1
	Neutral	13%	8%	-5	12%	14%	+2
	Not Likely	71%	63%	-8	71%	68%	-3
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	36%	41%	+5	33%	36%	+3
	Neutral	13%	8%	-5	12%	13%	+1
	Not Likely	51%	51%	0	56%	51%	-5

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.