According to the Index, the percentage of workers who believe there are more jobs available increased one percentage point to 28 percent. The number of workers likely to search for new positions also increased. Specifically, 36 percent are likely to look for a new job in the next year, compared to 34 percent in June. "In the three years since we have been tracking employee confidence levels, despite some fluctuation of overall worker confidence, we continue to report that nearly 40 percent of workers are likely to look for new jobs and the majority of workers feel secure in their current positions," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of Spherion Corporation.
"This reveals that despite of the elevated gas prices and concerns over a weakening housing market, workers are relatively upbeat and ready to make a job change. However, the recent stock market shakeup may have some effect on the mood of the workforce in the near future and we expect to see some decline in overall confidence in the upcoming months, but it is impossible to gauge the impact this soon. That being said, it's still a great time to be a job seeker."
Employee Confidence Index: Worker Confidence Increases Slightly: The Employee Confidence Index increased 0.1 point to 58.8 in July. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, reveals that more workers are optimistic about job availability and confident in their own ability to find a new job. The Index was 57.8 a year ago and 59.2 in July 2004.
Details of the Index:
Macroeconomic Confidence:
- 20 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting stronger, compared to 21 percent in the previous month.
- 28 percent of U.S. adult workers believe that more jobs are available, up one percentage point from June.
Personal Confidence:
- 64 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of their current employer, decreasing one percentage point compared to June.
- 60 percent of U.S. adult workers are confident in their own ability to find a new job, up one percentage point from the previous month.
Job Security: More Workers Believe it is Unlikely they will Lose Their Job
- 79 percent of U.S. workers believe that it is unlikely that they will lose their jobs in the next twelve months, an increase of two percentage points from June.
Job Transition: More Workers Likely to Look for a New Job
-36 percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, compared to 34 percent in the previous month.
