Interestingly, job security has increased slightly with 76 percent of workers saying they are unlikely to lose their job in the next year and 34 percent indicating that they are not likely to look for a job in the next 12 months, a decrease of one percentage point.
"Like many other national confidence indicators are showing, the confidence level among American workers has declined once again," said Roy Krause, president and CEO of Spherion Corporation. While this drop in overall confidence is to be expected in times of economic uncertainty, workers should take note that even though the economy is shedding jobs overall, certain sectors continue to create jobs. Opportunities still exist today and job seekers must remain diligent in their search."
Krause continued, "At the same time, employers must also understand that even though they are seeing a down job market, today's emergent workers are not going to simply stay in their existing jobs if they believe they can do better elsewhere or jump at any opportunity presented to them. Our studies indicate that the workforce as a whole continues to be quite confident, change-ready and demanding. This especially applies to the most skilled and talented workers who continue to have their choice of jobs. The most innovative and progressive employers remain focused on establishing themselves as an employer of choice by attracting, developing and retaining top talent. Those who choose to 'take their foot off of the gas,' even in these times, may severely hamper their ability to win the battle for talent now and in the future."
Worker Confidence Level Dips Slightly: The Spherion Employee Confidence Index dropped 0.8 points to 46.1 in June, showing a minimal drop from 46.9 in May. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, reveals that more workers believe that it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next year, despite workers feeling slightly less optimistic about the future of their current employer.
Details of the Index:
Macroeconomic Confidence:
- Twelve percent of U.S. adult workers believe there are more jobs available, unchanged from the previous month.
- Seven percent of workers believe the economy is getting stronger, showing no change from May.
Personal Confidence:
- Sixty-three percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of their current employer, a decrease of one percentage point from May.
- The percentage of U.S. adult workers confident in their ability to find a new job decreased two percentage points to 49 percent in June.
Job Security: Just Over Three-quarters of Workers Say it is Unlikely They will Lose Their Job
- Seventy-six percent of U.S. workers say it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, an increase of one percentage point from May.
Job Transition: Percentage of Workers Likely to Look for a New Job Decreased
- Thirty-four percent of workers are likely to look for a new job in the next twelve months, a decrease of one percentage point from the prior month.
