Worker confidence dips, Spherion survey finds

By Palm Beach Business.com

FORT LAUDERDALE — Worker confidence in the economy, the jobs market and their personal employment situation dipped slightly in June, according to Spherion’s Employee Confidence Index released Friday.

The index, done through a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion, dropped 0.3 point to a June reading of 48. That’s 1.9 points higher than June 2008 and 8 points higher than February’s reading of 40 — the all-time low for the index.

Earlier Friday, the Labor Department reported that the June unemployment rate increased to 9.5 percent, and the economy as a whole shed 467,000 jobs — more than most observers expected.

The Spherion report found that that slightly more workers believe the economy is getting weaker and fewer jobs are available, but more workers are confident in the future of their current employer.

"With talks of the worst of the recession being behind us, more U.S. workers seem to be taking a middle-of-the-road stance in our latest confidence survey," Spherion CEO Roy Krause said. "While there may be signs of a light at the end of the tunnel, a turnaround will not be felt quickly.”

Inside the report:

—  Forty percent of workers believe the economy is getting weaker compared to 38 percent in May. Twenty percent of workers believe the economy is getting stronger, unchanged from May.

— Seventy-two percent of workers surveyed believe there are fewer jobs available, up one percentage point from May. Conversely, only 7 percent of workers surveyed believe there are more jobs available, down a point from May.

— More workers (66 percent versus 63 percent) reported confidence in the future of their current employers than in May.

— Forty-two percent of U.S. adult workers reported confidence in their ability to find a new job, showing no change from the previous month.

— Sixteen percent of workers say it is likely they will lose their jobs in the next year, unchanged from May's reading.

— Thirty-five percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next twelve months, increasing one percentage point from the previous month.

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