Randstad U.S. Employment Report: Employee Confidence Dips Slightly in April

NEW YORK, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Employee confidence slightly decreased by 1.2 points in April, after steadily increasing over the last three months, according to the latest Randstad U.S. Employment Report. Prompted by increased concerns about the economy and job market, just over a quarter (27 percent) of employees believe the economy is getting stronger. This is down 5 percent from last month, indicating that U.S. workers are cautious about the current economic climate.

"Despite a slight dip in our overall index, we do not anticipate this being the start of a potential cooling of worker confidence," said Joanie Ruge, senior vice president & chief employment analyst for Randstad US Holding. "In fact, from a historical standpoint, U.S. worker confidence in April is higher than this time in both 2011 and 2010, and personal confidence is up for the fourth consecutive month. One thing to keep in mind is that the recession was very deep. Jobs are being created—albeit slower than most would like—we are still seeing moderate job growth. Additionally, we are seeing gains in the U.S. housing industry, gas prices start to decline, and retail sales picked up in March—all which will hopefully contribute to increased employee confidence in months to come."

The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad. It surveyed 1,333 employed U.S. adults, aged 18 and over between April 10-12, 2012.

Look Inside the Report:

Employee Confidence Index Down Slightly, Remaining Strong:

• The Employee Confidence Index was down slightly this month, registering at 54.3 in April, after reaching 55.5 in March—its highest level in four years

Employee's Attitudes Towards the Economy and Job Market Decline after Seventh Consecutive Rise:

• Just over a quarter, 27 percent, of employees indicate the economy is getting stronger—down 5 percent from March
• 49 percent of employees believe there are fewer jobs available in the market right now, down 2 percent from March

Optimistic Around the Ability to Find a New Job Stable:

• Almost half of employees (46 percent) feel confident in their ability to find a new job, showing optimism remains strong

Workers Steady in their Jobs; Majority Unlikely to Leave Current Position:

• 72 percent of employees feel it is not likely they will lose their job in the next year
• A slight majority of those surveyed, 54 percent, indicate they are not likely to look for a new job in the next year

The Randstad U.S. Employee Confidence Index measures workforce trends across the country since 2004.

About the Randstad Employment Report

About Harris Interactive

Methodology
This April 2012 Randstad Employment Tracker was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad between April 10-12, 2012 among a U.S. sample of 1,333 employed adults, aged 18 years and older (March 2012 n=1,399). 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 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