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California Employee Confidence Index Rebounds in April

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 22, 2009 – Although job loss continued across the state, the California Employee Confidence Index jumped 5.6 points to 44.7 in April, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey of California workers, conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), unveils an increased sense of optimism in the strength of the economy, although fewer workers reported that they are likely to look for a new job.

Results from the California Employment Report:

Fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker. Specifically, 43 percent versus 77 percent in March, representing a 34 percentage-point decrease.
Seventy-seven percent of workers believe there are fewer jobs available, compared to 86 percent the previous month.
Thirty-six percent of workers indicated that they are likely to job search within the next 12 months, down 10 percentage points from March.

“It is a pleasant surprise to see the renewed sense of macroeconomic optimism among California workers. Although this is certainly welcoming news, this cannot be defined as a new trend just yet,” explained Beth Noseworthy, region vice president for Spherion. “While the general economist consensus is that the road to economic recovery will be long and slow moving, it is encouraging to read news of a slower contraction in our latest economic indicators. Given the volatility we have seen in our Employee Confidence Index and the job market over the past few quarters, it is still too early to positively determine if this uptick in confidence will persist.”

April 2009 Employment Report Results		California Workers			U.S. Workers
		Mar	Apr	% Point Change	Mar	Apr	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	5%	18%	+13	6%	16%	+10
	Staying Same	19%	39%	+20	26%	38%	+12
	Getting Weaker	77%	43%	-34	68%	46%	-22
Job Availability	More Jobs	5%	4%	-1	5%	5%	0
	Same Amount	9%	19%	+10	16%	20%	+4
	Fewer Jobs	86%	77%	-9	78%	75%	-3
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	40%	43%	+3	39%	38%	-1
	Neutral	34%	27%	-7	35%	35%	0
	Not Confident	26%	30%	+4	26%	26%	0
Future of Current Employer	Confident	65%	59%	-6	66%	65%	-1
	Neutral	22%	27%	+5	22%	22%	0
	Not Confident	13%	15%	+2	13%	13%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	25%	26%	+1	18%	18%	0
	Neutral	12%	11%	-1	14%	12%	-2
	Not Likely	62%	63%	+1	68%	70%	+2
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	46%	36%	-10	36%	34%	-2
	Neutral	8%	11%	+3	13%	12%	-1
	Not Likely	46%	53%	+7	51%	54%	+3

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 630 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 215,000 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