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Florida Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Shows Third Consecutive Month of Increase

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 19, 2009 – For the third consecutive month, the Florida Employee Confidence Index increased, rising 2.7 points to 43.4 in May, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey of Florida workers, conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation, reveals that fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker and more workers feel neutral about their ability to find a new job.

Results from the Florida Employment Report:

Forty-three percent of workers believe the economy is getting weaker, decreasing 12 percentage points from April.
Forty percent of Florida workers feel neutral about their ability to find a new job, rising 13 percentage points from the previous month.
Fewer workers are likely to look for a new job in the next year. Specifically, 34 percent indicated a likelihood to do so compared to 41 percent in April.

“Even though the job market remains challenging, it is refreshing to see our Employee Confidence Index continue to rise,” said Paula Franco, branch manager for Spherion Staffing Services in Florida. “There seems to be mixed reactions to the latest economic reports and because of this, many companies continue to remain cautious about adding staff until they see definitive signs of a recovery. We are also seeing many more job seekers looking for part-time work to supplement their incomes. Although many economists believe that the worst is behind us, an economic recovery won’t happen overnight. The good news is that U.S. job market seems to be beginning to stabilize.”

May 2009 Employment Report Results		Florida Workers			U.S. Workers
		Apr	May	% Point Change	Apr	May	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	14%	18%	+4	16%	20%	+4
	Staying Same	31%	39%	+8	38%	42%	+4
	Getting Weaker	55%	43%	-12	46%	38%	-8
Job Availability	More Jobs	3%	5%	+2	5%	8%	+3
	Same Amount	17%	20%	+3	20%	21%	+1
	Fewer Jobs	81%	75%	-6	75%	71%	-4
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	39%	31%	-8	38%	42%	+4
	Neutral	27%	40%	+13	35%	34%	-1
	Not Confident	34%	29%	-5	26%	24%	-2
Future of Current Employer	Confident	61%	60%	-1	65%	63%	-2
	Neutral	20%	14%	-6	22%	25%	+3
	Not Confident	22%	20%	-2	13%	13%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	24%	22%	-2	18%	16%	-2
	Neutral	20%	14%	-6	12%	13%	+1
	Not Likely	56%	63%	+7	70%	71%	+1
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	41%	34%	-7	34%	34%	0
	Neutral	14%	16%	+2	12%	12%	0
	Not Likely	45%	50%	+5	54%	53%	-1

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.