Press Room

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., October 27, 2009 — The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, increased 3.7 points to 51.7 in the third quarter of 2009, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Mergis Group^®, the professional placement division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive^®, shows that more accounting and finance workers believe the economy is neither getting stronger or weaker, but remaining the same and are continuing to show increased levels of confidence in their personal employment situations. Our survey findings also indicate that fewer accounting and finance workers say that they are likely to make a job change in the next 12 months compared to the second quarter.

Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:                                                                            

• Nearly half (49 percent) of accounting and finance workers believe the economy is neither getting stronger or weaker, but remaining the same. This represents an 11 percentage point increase from the second quarter of 2009.
• Forty-six percent of accounting and finance workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, an increase of six percentage points from the previous quarter.
• More accounting and finance workers are confident in the future of their current employer. Specifically, 67 percent are confident compared to 61 percent in the second quarter of 2009.
• Fewer accounting and finance workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, with only 29 percent reporting likelihood to do so.  This is a decrease of eight percentage points from the previous quarter.

“The economy is starting to show more definitive signs of economic stabilization and we are seeing that sentiment echoed in our latest Mergis Accounting and Finance Confidence Index,” stated Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group. “Our Index now stands at the highest level in nearly two years, as more accounting and finance workers are reporting increased optimism in their ability to find a new job and more confidence in the future of their current employers. This snapshot of accounting and finance worker confidence also reveals a substantial decrease in the percentage of workers who say they are likely to make a job change in the year to come. While the findings of our third quarter Report certainly send a hopeful message to employers, we are by no means out of the woods yet. However, we are beginning to hear clients discuss their hiring plans for banking, mortgage and accounting professionals that will be needed as the 2010 tax season nears and economic conditions show signs of improvement. ”

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About The Mergis Group

The Mergis Group is a leading professional placement firm that specializes in recruiting for positions in accounting and finance, engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing, legal and human resources. The firm provides recruiting services to Fortune 500 and small and mid-sized companies through its network of 30 offices nationally.

The Mergis Group is a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), which operates a family of specialty brands providing strategic workplace solutions in professional recruiting, outsourcing, managed services and contractor compliance programs, technology services and general staffing. For more information, please visit www.mergisgroup.com.