Worker Confidence Inches Up

The nation's employees were feeling better about the economy last month, Spherion reports.

Tweet

After declining over the past three months, economic confidence among nation's workers picked up in August as productivity improved and energy prices dropped, according to a survey by Spherion and Harris Interactive.

Based on responses from nearly 3,000 workers, the Ft. Lauderdale-based staffing firm's monthly employee confidence index rose 2.4 percentage points last month to 47.6. About three quarters of respondents said they were unlikely to lose their jobs anytime soon, while a growing number said they intended to look for a new job within the next year.

Workers' attitudes towards the economy also improved from July, though remained low at just eight percent, the survey found.

"Despite the uncertain economy, news of an upward revision to U.S. GDP growth in the second quarter, higher than expected worker productivity and lower energy prices likely support this jump in optimism," Spherion Executive Vice President William Grubbs said in a statement.

He added that even in a sluggish economy, demand remains strong for financial analysts, healthcare workers and other professionals.

Read more:

Sign-up for our Leadership and Managing Newsletter

Email Address: