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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 30, 2009 — The Administrative & Clerical Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. administrative & clerical workers, decreased slightly by 0.1 points to a new low of 36.7 in the first quarter of 2009, according to a recent survey commissioned by Todays Office Professionals®, a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive®, uncovers rising pessimism among administrative and clerical workers about job availability and in their ability to find a new job. Despite this, fewer workers reported that they believe the economy is getting weaker in the first quarter of 2009.
Results from the Administrative & Clerical Employment Report:
- Sixty-eight percent of administrative and clerical workers believe the economy is getting weaker, decreasing 10 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2008
- Eighty-five percent of administrative and clerical workers believe there are fewer jobs available, compared to 79 percent in the previous quarter.
- In the first quarter of 2009, thirty-seven percent of administrative and clerical workers reported that they are not confident in their ability to find a new job, reflecting a six percentage point increase from the fourth quarter of 2008.
- Sixty-seven percent of administrative and clerical workers surveyed indicate it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, a decrease of four percentage points from previous quarter.
“We are pleased to only see a marginal decrease in our latest Administrative & Clerical Employee Confidence Index,” said Brendan Courtney, president of Todays Office Professionals. “However, ongoing job loss appears to have put a damper on administrative and clerical workers’ optimism toward the job market and has worn away at their confidence in being able to find new jobs. Despite the economic uncertainty being expressed by this segment of the workforce, the good news is that the Index may be reaching a point of stabilization. While it will undoubtedly be a slow process to help rebuild confidence among administrative and clerical workers to levels seen in early 2007, we are hopeful that our Index is showing signs of flattening and an uptick is near.”
| 1Q 2009 Employment Report Results: Administrative & Clerical | Admin/Clerical Workers | U.S. Workers | |||||
| 4Q 2008 | 1Q 2009 | % Point Change | 4Q 2008 | 1Q 2009 | % Point Change | ||
| Economy | Getting Stronger | 2% | 5% | +3 | 5% | 6% | +1 |
| Staying Same | 20% | 27% | +7 | 21% | 25% | +4 | |
| Getting Weaker | 78% | 68% | -10 | 75% | 68% | -7 | |
| Job Availability | More Jobs | 3% | 3% | 0 | 6% | 5% | -1 |
| Same Amount | 18% | 12% | -6 | 20% | 17% | -3 | |
| Fewer Jobs | 79% | 85% | +6 | 74% | 78% | +4 | |
| Ability to Find New Job | Confident | 27% | 28% | +1 | 41% | 40% | -1 |
| Neutral | 41% | 35% | -6 | 34% | 34% | 0 | |
| Not Confident | 31% | 37% | +6 | 26% | 26% | 0 | |
| Future of Current Employer | Confident | 63% | 63% | 0 | 66% | 65% | -1 |
| Neutral | 24% | 23% | -1 | 23% | 22% | -1 | |
| Not Confident | 13% | 14% | +1 | 12% | 13% | +1 | |
| Likelihood to Lose Job | Likely | 13% | 18% | +5 | 14% | 17% | +3 |
| Neutral | 15% | 15% | 0 | 12% | 13% | +1 | |
| Not Likely | 71% | 67% | -4 | 74% | 70% | -4 | |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job | Likely | 33% | 30% | -3 | 33% | 34% | +1 |
| Neutral | 11% | 12% | +1 | 12% | 12% | 0 | |
| Not Likely | 56% | 58% | +2 | 55% | 54% | -1 | |
About Todays Office Professionals
Todays Office Professionals is a premier provider of flexible, temp-to-hire and direct-hire professionals to a diverse portfolio of clients. Founded in 1982, Todays delivers high-quality talent and increased value through its network of 38 offices located across the U.S. Specialties include: administrative and clerical, call center, customer service, legal and financial staffing.
Todays Office Professionals is a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). For more information, please visit www.todays.com.
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