U.S. Employment Report: Confidence Reaches Highest Level Since October 2007
Report Reveals That Fewer Workers Likely to Make a Job Transition
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The SFN Group Employee Confidence Index increased 0.8 points to 53.6 in February. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, reached the highest level seen since October 2007, with more workers reporting overall confidence in the economic landscape. Our Report also detailed that fewer workers reported that they are likely to make a job change in the next 12 months.
"While worker optimism towards the overall economy continues to reach new heights, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty when it comes to their perception of the permanent job market," says Roy Krause, president and CEO of SFN Group, Inc. "Mixed messages may be contributing to the fluctuating likelihood or intent of workers to pursue a job change – a finding that has varied significantly in recent months. Although some economists indicate a promising return to permanent higher volume hiring, many more believe businesses are operating under a new 'normal' characterized by smaller, but more efficient staffs augmented by more temporary and project work."
The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the SFN Group. It surveyed 1,229 employed U.S. adults, aged 18 and over between February 15 and February 17, 2011.
A Look Inside the Report:
Confidence in Overall Situation:
The SFN Group Employee Confidence Index increased 0.8 points to 53.6 in February. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, reached the highest level seen since October 2007, with more workers reporting overall confidence in the economic landscape. Our Report also detailed that fewer workers reported that they are likely to make a job change in the next 12 months.
Confidence in Macroeconomic Environment:
- Twenty-nine percent of U.S. workers believe the economy is getting stronger, showing no change from January.
- Fifty-one percent of workers believe there are fewer jobs available, dropping six points from last month.
Confidence in Personal Employment Situation:
- Sixty-one percent of workers are confident in the future of their current employer, showing no fluctuation from the previous month.
- Fewer workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, with 40 percent reporting confidence. This is a dip of two percentage points from January.
Job Security:
- Fewer workers believe that it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months. Specifically, 70 percent believe is it is unlikely versus 71 percent in January.
Job Transition:
- One-third of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, representing a decrease of seven percentage points from the previous month.
Confidence by Gender:
- Our latest Report reveals that men are more likely to make a job change in the next 12 months than women. Specifically, 30 percent of women are likely to make a job transition, versus 35 percent of men.
- More men believe the economy is getting stronger, with 32 percent indicating that belief. On the other hand, 26 percent of women believe the economy is strengthening.
Confidence by Age:
- Workers age 18-34 expressed the highest likelihood of making a job transition, with 42 percent reporting that job change is likely. This is the highest among all age brackets.
- Nearly half (49 percent) of workers age 35-44 are confident in their ability to find a new job. However, only one-third (33 percent) of workers age 45-54 are confident.
Confidence by Income:
- Workers earning $75K+ are the most confident in their ability to find a new job, with 44 percent of workers revealing confidence.
- On the other end of the income spectrum, half of workers earning less than $35K are confident in the future of their current employer and 42 percent are likely to make a job transition in the next 12 months.
Full Results & ECI Index Archive
About the SFN Group Employment Report
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of SFN Group from February 15-17, 2011 among 1,229 employed adults ages 18 and older. 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 click here.
About SFN Group, Inc.
SFN Group is a strategic workforce solutions company that provides professional services and general staffing to help businesses more effectively source, deploy and manage people and the work they do. As an industry pioneer, SFN Group has sourced, screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs for more than 60 years.
With approximately 560 locations in the United States and Canada, SFN delivers strategic workforce solutions that improve business performance. From outsourcing to technology to professional services to staffing, SFN delivers the best combination of people, performance, and service to improve the way work gets done. It provides its services to approximately 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. The company employs more than 170,000 people annually through its network and is one of North America's largest employers. SFN provides its solutions through a family of specialized businesses: Technisource, Tatum, The Mergis Group, Todays Office Professionals, SourceRight Solutions and Spherion Staffing Services.
To learn more, visit www.sfngroup.com.
SOURCE SFN Group
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