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Ohio Employment Report: Employee Confidence Inches up 3.4 Points in April

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 22, 2009 —The Ohio Employee Confidence Index increased 3.4 points to 41.8 in April, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), shows increased worker optimism in the strength of the economy and availability of jobs, despite workers’ confidence in the future of their current employer weakening.

Results from the Ohio Employment Report:

Just over half (53 percent) of workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 17 percentage points from March.
Fewer workers are confident in the future of their current employer. Specifically 58 percent versus 67 percent in the previous month.
Seventy-three percent of workers believe there are fewer jobs available compared to 81 percent in March.

“The fluctuation in our Index is in line with our expectations. Although the slight boost in worker confidence is certainly an optimistic sign, it is difficult to determine what exactly this increase can be attributed to,” said Robert Schulte, Spherion franchise owner in Ohio. “It is possible that workers are optimistic about the potential positive impact that the stimulus package will have here in Ohio, although the complete manifestation of these programs remains to be seen. It is interesting to note that although macroeconomic confidence is up among workers, our survey reveals that worker confidence in the future of their current employer is on the decline. This should serve as a reminder to companies of the importance of employee retention plans and open communication, especially in these unprecedented economic times.”

April 2009 Employment Report Results		Ohio Workers			U.S. Workers
		Mar	Apr	% Point Change	Mar	Apr	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	4%	15%	+11	6%	16%	+10
	Staying Same	26%	32%	+6	26%	38%	+12
	Getting Weaker	70%	53%	-17	68%	46%	-22
Job Availability	More Jobs	2%	4%	+2	5%	5%	0
	Same Amount	17%	22%	+5	16%	20%	+4
	Fewer Jobs	81%	73%	-8	78%	75%	-3
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	29%	26%	-3	39%	38%	-1
	Neutral	39%	45%	+6	35%	35%	0
	Not Confident	32%	29%	-3	26%	26%	0
Future of Current Employer	Confident	67%	58%	-9	66%	65%	-1
	Neutral	21%	29%	+8	22%	22%	0
	Not Confident	12%	13%	+1	13%	13%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	18%	24%	+6	18%	18%	0
	Neutral	18%	13%	-5	14%	12%	-2
	Not Likely	63%	62%	-1	68%	70%	+2
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	41%	39%	-2	36%	34%	-2
	Neutral	8%	14%	+6	13%	12%	-1
	Not Likely	51%	47%	-4	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