The Spherion Employee Confidence Index increased 4.0 points to 45.4 in April. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, rose as more workers reported optimism about the strength of the economy and fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker.

"This month's Employee Confidence Index has reached its highest level in 2009, which is similar to other U.S. confidence measures issued in April. I believe this rise can be attributed to recent economic indicators pointing to slower rates of contraction and indicating that a possible bottoming out is within reach," said Roy Krause, president and CEO of Spherion Corporation. "While we certainly haven't turned the corner in terms of reaching an economic recovery, the fact that we are beginning to see positive signs in consumer and construction spending, and in the contraction of manufacturing activity easing, is certainly alleviating workers' economic concerns. In fact, our latest data shows that more workers are clearly feeling better about the state of the economy. While businesses continue to operate in a challenging environment, forward-thinking employers are remaining cautious about taking any actions that could hamper their recovery when the economy improves.

Confidence in Overall Situation:

The Spherion Employee Confidence Index increased 4.0 points to 45.4 in April. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, rose as more workers reported optimism about the strength of the economy and fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker.

Confidence in Macroeconomic Environment:

- Sixteen percent of workers believe the economy is getting stronger, an increase of 10 percentage points from March. Forty-six percent of workers still believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 22 percentage points from March.

- Only five percent of U.S. adult workers surveyed believe there are more jobs available, which remained unchanged from the previous month. At the same time, 75 percent of workers report that there are fewer jobs available, compared to 78 percent in March.

Confidence in Personal Employment Situation:

- Sixty-five percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of their current employer, decreasing one percentage point from March.

- Thirty-eight percent of U.S. adult workers reported confidence in their ability to find a new job, a decrease of one percentage point from the previous month.

Job Security:

- Seventy percent of workers say it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next year, increasing two percentage points from March.

Job Transition:

- Thirty-four percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next twelve months, a drop of two percentage points from March.

Confidence by Gender:

- In April, more women (48 percent) than men (45 percent) say they believe the economy is getting weaker.

- Seventy-six percent of male workers believe fewer jobs are available in April, compared to 74 percent of female workers.

- The percentage of male workers confident in their ability to find a new job decreased by three percentage points to 42 percent (versus 35 percent of female workers) in April. Additionally, 36 percent of men were also more likely to look for a new job, a slight decrease from 38 percent in March.

Confidence by Age:

- Workers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old are the most likely to report that they will look for a new job in the next year, with 46 percent reporting that they are likely to do so. Workers over 55 years old are still the least likely to job search in the next 12 months, with only 21 percent stating they intend to do so.

- Seventy percent of workers over 55 years old are confident in the future of their current employer, compared to 72 percent reporting confidence in March -- still the highest percentage across all age groups.

- Twenty percent of workers between the ages of 45 and 54 say they feel it is likely that they will lose their job in the next year as opposed to workers 55 and over, of which, fourteen percent believe they are likely to lose their jobs.

Confidence by Income:

- Fifty-four percent of workers earning less than $35K believe the economy is getting weaker, compared to 44 percent of workers earning more than $75K.

- Sixty-eight percent of workers earning $50K or more are confident in the future of their current employer, compared to 54 percent of those earning less than $35K.

- Forty-seven percent of workers with incomes less than $35K are likely to look for a new job in the next year, compared to 30 percent of workers earning between $35-49.9K, as well as $75K and over.