Employee Confidence Dips 2 points in May, Following Post-Recession Peak in April

NEW YORK, June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- After reaching its highest number in April since before the 2008 recession, the Randstad Employee Confidence Index decreased 2.2 points in May to 54.8. The Employee Confidence Index tracks several measures of employee confidence, including micro- and macro-economic measures. This online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad in May of 2013, included 1,069 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

The research from Randstad, the second largest staffing firm in the world, also revealed that the Macro Confidence Index (a measure of confidence in the strength of the economy and the number of jobs available) decreased from April to 42.6 (down 4.2 points). The decrease in positive sentiment was consistent across age groups, income brackets and geographic locations. However, while employee confidence decreased in areas such as the economy, employees still show signs of optimism in their ability to get a job (48% in May responded they were confident versus 44% in April). 

"While the Employee Confidence Index dipped slightly this month, there are still several positive signs in the workplace.  Employers continue to add positions at steady rates and our research shows employees are fairly optimistic about their ability to find new jobs," said Jim Link, Managing Director at Randstad U.S.  "Also, temporary help services gained momentum in April with a gain of 30,800 jobs—the largest monthly increase in more than a year. That said, there is no doubt some sectors are healthier than others, with tremendous prospects available to those looking for positions, particularly in IT, healthcare and engineering to name a few. All eyes are certainly on Friday's jobs report."

As a global sourcing company that puts an average of nearly 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, Randstad has extensive knowledge and insight into workforce trends and issues. The Randstad U.S. Employee Confidence Index has been produced since 2004 and delves into the research and analysis of workforce trends.

About Randstad
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the US, Randstad holds top positions in permanent placement, office and administrative, IT and accounting and finance. From professional services, commercial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, to managed services and more, Randstad delivers a comprehensive range of temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and outsourced placement services. With its 5,660 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of nearly 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Learn more at www.randstad.com and access Randstad's panoramic US thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.

Methodology
This May 2013 Randstad Employment Tracker was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad between May 7-9, 2013 among a U.S. sample of 1,069 employed adults, aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us—and our clients—stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Randstad