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Todays Office Professionals Survey: Administrative and Clerical Worker Confidence Index Trends Upward in Second Quarter of 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 23, 2009 — The Administrative & Clerical Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. administrative and clerical workers, jumped 6.9 points in the second 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®, reveals increased overall confidence among administrative and clerical workers, with more workers indicating that they believe the economy is getting stronger.    

Results from the Administrative and Clerical Employment Report:

  • Forty-four percent of administrative and clerical workers believe the economy is getting weaker, decreasing 24 percentage points from the first quarter of 2009.
  • Seventy-three percent of administrative and clerical workers believe there are fewer jobs available, compared to 85 percent in the previous quarter.
  • In the second quarter of 2009, 30 percent of administrative and clerical workers reported that they are not confident in their ability to find a new job, reflecting a seven percentage point decrease from the first quarter of 2009.
  • Thirty-five percent of administrative and clerical workers surveyed indicate it is likely they will job search in the next 12 months, an increase of five percentage points from the previous quarter.

“We are pleased to see a significant increase in our latest Administrative and Clerical Employee Confidence Index,” said Brendan Courtney, president of Todays Office Professionals.  “It is highly likely our Index will show some fluctuation over the months to come as the economy works its way through this downturn. However, this is certainly a positive sign in the road to economic stabilization. It is of great significance that more than a third of administrative and clerical workers indicated that they are likely to look for a job within the next 12 months. This should serve as a forewarning to employers who may have placed retention efforts on the back-burner during this downturn. Companies that fall into this category will face challenges in retaining top talent once the economy turns around.”

2Q 2009 Employment Report Results: Administrative & Clerical Admin/Clerical Workers U.S.  Workers
  1Q 2009 2Q 2009 % Point Change 1Q 2009 2Q 2009 % Point Change
Economy Getting Stronger 5% 16% +11 6% 19% +13
Staying Same 27% 40% +13 25% 40%  +15
Getting Weaker 68% 44% -24 68% 41%  -27
Job Availability More Jobs 3% 5% +2 5% 6% +1
Same Amount 12% 22% +10 17% 21% +4
Fewer Jobs 85% 73% -12 78% 73% -5
Ability to Find New Job Confident 28% 27% -1 40% 41% +1
Neutral 35% 43% +8 34% 33% -1
Not Confident 37% 30% -7 26% 26% 0
Future of Current Employer Confident 63% 62% -1 65% 64% -1
Neutral 23% 23% 0 22% 23% +1
Not Confident 14% 14% 0 13% 13% 0
Likelihood to Lose Job Likely 18% 22% +4 13% 13% 0
Neutral 15% 11% -4 13% 13% 0
Not Likely 67% 67% 0 70% 70% 0
Likelihood to Look for New Job Likely 30% 35% +5 34% 34% 0
Neutral 12% 9% -3 12% 12% 0
Not Likely 58% 56% -2 54% 54% 0

Full Report

Demographic Results

Survey Background Information

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.

Q2 2009 Todays Office Professionals Administrative & Clerical Employment Report
Click here for a PDF of the Report (73 KB)

 

Media Contact

Lesly Cardec

954.308.6302

 

leslycardec@sfngroup.com

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