After reaching its highest mark in 2009, the New York Employee Confidence Index decreased by 1.1 points to 46.7 in July, according to the latest Spherion(R) Employment Report. The monthly survey of New York workers, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation, indicates that an increased number of workers believe fewer jobs are available, however, more workers are confident in their ability to find a job.

Results from the New York Employment Report:

- Three-quarters (75 percent) of workers surveyed believe there are fewer jobs available, an increase of 11 percentage points from June.

- The number of workers confident in their ability to find a new job has increased to 40 percent, a seven-percentage-point upswing from the previous month.

- Fewer workers (14 percent) feel that it is likely that they will lose their job, a decrease of six percentage point from June.

"Although the New York Employee Confidence Index decreased a little more than a point, we are still very encouraged by workers' confidence levels across the state," said Linda Perneau, vice president and general manager of Spherion Staffing Services. "Despite the fact that more workers have concerns about the number of opportunities available, it is still very telling that fewer workers are concerned about losing their jobs, which may be further evidence that the recession is subsiding somewhat and companies are beginning to level off in terms of layoffs and jobs loss."