The New York Employee Confidence Index increased 0.9 points to 49.1 in January, 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, reveals that although more workers are concerned about the economy, there was an increase in the number of workers who are optimistic about job availability.

Results from the New York Employment Report:

- Sixty-six percent of workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a nine-percentage-point increase from December.
- Thirteen percent of workers report that they are optimistic about the number of jobs available, up four percentage points from the previous month.
- More workers are likely to look for a new job, with 39 percent stating that they are likely to job search, compared to 31 percent in December.

"It's not surprising that workers are still concerned about the economy, and we could continue to see a fluctuation in the Confidence Index throughout the year as a result. Even though we saw a slight increase in overall confidence in January, we are still well below where we were this time last year," said Linda Perneau, vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. "The good news is that there are still plenty of job opportunities for those who are seeking employment. Some of the strongest areas of job growth include financial services companies, education, healthcare and construction."