Randstad Engineering Employment Report: Worker Confidence Reaches Highest Level in 4 Years

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May 15, 2012, 11:39 ET

BOSTON, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. engineering workers, was 64.9 in the first quarter of 2012—the highest level of confidence recorded since the third quarter of 2007 when the index stood at 66.2. The newly branded quarterly report, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Engineering, surveyed 181 workers employed in the engineering industry.

The first quarter results show high levels of optimism when it comes to engineers feeling confident in their own personal employment situation. Both survey questions related to this indicator, worker's confidence in their ability to find new a new job and in the future of their current employer, show that the majority feel optimistic.

"Given the strength of the engineering industry, it was not surprising that the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index was the highest among all other professions tracked," said Richard Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineering. "According to the Department of Labor, there were more than 1.6 million jobs in engineering at the end of Q1 2012 and this is expected to grow at eleven percent over the next ten years. Based on this projected growth, it is likely that our Index will continue to report high levels of confidence, on both a macroeconomic and personal level. In fact, I would even suggest that our Index could continue to remain a frontrunner in terms of overall levels of confidence compared to other sectors. With much of the growth in engineering jobs stemming from the manufacturing industry, coupled with unemployment rates hovering between two to three percent for the majority of occupations, the skills gap between available positions and talent to fill them, will became an even more pressing concern in years to come."

Q1, 2012 Survey Highlights:

Engineering Worker Confidence in the Economy Spikes

Engineering professionals demonstrated a large spike in confidence in the overall economy, with 40% now believing the economy is getting stronger, up 23 percentage points from Q4 2011.

Over One in Four Engineers Believe More Jobs are Available

28% of respondents believe that more engineering jobs are available (up 15 percentage points from the previous quarter).

Majority of Engineers Confident They Could Find Alternative Employment

57% of engineers feel confident in their ability to find a new job -- an increase from 49% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

More than One of Four Workers Likely to Job Hunt

26% of engineering workers are likely to look for new jobs within the next 12 months (compared to 22% in the previous quarter).

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Engineering from January 9-11 & February 15-17 & March 13-15, 2012, among 4,341 adults ages 18 and older of which 181 are employed in engineering. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

Survey Background Information

About Randstad Engineering
Randstad Engineering has been matching clients with the expert engineering and technical staff needed to help their companies succeed since 1988. With degreed engineers and expert technical recruiters on staff who understand the unique challenges of your industry, Randstad Engineering partners with companies on their specific business goals by quickly connecting them with the expert professionals to help achieve them. With an extensive network of three million engineers and other technical experts -- Randstad Engineering has the right talent to get the job done.

About Randstad
Randstad is a $22.5 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. From temporary staffing to permanent placement to inhouse, professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad holds top positions around the world and has approximately 28,700 corporate employees working from its nearly 4,700 branches and inhouse locations in 40 countries. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. Learn more at http://www.randstad.com.

SOURCE Randstad Engineering