The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among accounting and finance workers in the U.S., dropped 1.7 points to 62.9 in the first quarter of 2007, according to a recent survey commissioned by Spherion Corporation and conducted by Harris Interactive(R).

Overall optimism declined primarily because fewer workers believe the economy is getting
stronger and the percentage of workers reporting confidence in the future of their employer declined.

Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:

- Fewer accounting and finance workers believe the economy is strengthening. Specifically, 27 percent reported that the economy is getting stronger versus 30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006.

- Sixty-three percent of workers expressed confidence in their ability to find a new job, showing no change from the fourth quarter.

- The number of workers reporting confidence in the future of their employer decreased three percentage points to 68 percent in the first quarter.

"The demand that was seen last year for accounting and finance workers has certainly not let up," said Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Professional Services for Spherion(R). "It's an extremely competitive time to be searching for skilled talent. Employers are grabbing onto top performers as quickly as possible and as a result, they are upping the ante by increasing wages, offering signing bonuses and very attractive career paths. This sort of urgency is being seen in most accounting and finance positions, with the job market for internal auditors, project managers, financial analysts and staff accountants being particularly hot. Many qualified accounting and finance workers in these positions have the luxury of choosing when and where they want to work."