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Mergis Group Survey Reveals Slight Decrease in Confidence Among Accounting and Finance Workers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 21, 2009 — The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, dipped 0.3 points to 42.3 in the first quarter of 2009, reaching a new historic low, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Mergis Group^® and conducted by Harris Interactive^®. The survey reveals that accounting and finance workers’ optimism about job availability and confidence in their own ability to find a new job decreased in the first quarter of 2009. At the same time, fewer of these workers believe the economy is getting weaker compared to the fourth quarter of 2008.

Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:

Sixty-three percent of accounting and finance workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 13 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2008.
More than eight in ten (82 percent) accounting and finance workers believe there are fewer jobs available, representing an eight percentage point increase from the previous quarter.
Fewer accounting and finance workers are confident in their own ability to find a new job. Specifically, 40 percent are confident in their ability to find a new position, compared to 45 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Thirty-two percent of accounting and finance workers believe it is likely they will look for a new job in the next 12 months, down two percentage points from the previous quarter.

“The first quarter of 2009 left the Accounting & Finance Employee Confidence Index virtually unchanged. While fewer accounting and finance workers indicated that they believe the economy is getting weaker, uncertainty in the job market still lingers,” stated Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group. “There continues to be a lack of corporate confidence in the economy, as the effects of TARP and other government stimulus programs are taking longer to gain momentum to fuel job creation. We are hopeful that the manifestation of these programs will give corporate America a much-needed confidence boost. Our anticipation is that these programs will command highly skilled finance, mortgage and legal professionals to navigate through new regulations and loan workouts. We think the demand will be so great, in fact, that we have developed a specialized team to help fill employers' critical hiring needs. Although we have only scratched the surface in terms of the size and scope of these efforts, if companies haven’t developed an action plan, they are already behind.”

1Q 2009 Employment Report Results: Accounting & Finance		A&F Workers			U.S. Workers
		4Q 2008	1Q 2009	% Point Change	4Q 2008	1Q 2009	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	5%	11%	+6	5%	6%	+1
	Staying Same	19%	26%	+7	21%	25%	+4
	Getting Weaker	76%	63%	-13	75%	68%	-7
Job Availability	More Jobs	6%	5%	-1	6%	5%	-1
	Same Amount	19%	13%	-6	20%	17%	-3
	Fewer Jobs	74%	82%	+8	74%	78%	+4
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	45%	40%	-5	41%	40%	-1
	Neutral	32%	31%	-1	34%	34%	0
	Not Confident	23%	30%	+7	26%	26%	0
Future of Current Employer	Confident	67%	71%	+4	66%	65%	-1
	Neutral	22%	15%	-7	23%	22%	-1
	Not Confident	11%	14%	+3	12%	13%	+1
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	16%	18%	+2	14%	17%	+3
	Neutral	12%	12%	0	12%	13%	+1
	Not Likely	72%	70%	-2	74%	70%	-4
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	34%	32%	-2	33%	34%	+1
	Neutral	12%	11%	-1	12%	12%	0
	Not Likely	54%	57%	+3	55%	54%	-1

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Demographic Results

Survey Background Information

About The Mergis Group

The Mergis Group is a leading professional placement firm that specializes in recruiting for positions in finance and accounting, engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing, legal and human resources. The firm provides recruiting services to Fortune 500 and small and mid-sized companies through its network of 36 offices nationally.

The Mergis Group is a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). For more information, please visit www.mergisgroup.com.