Spherion Survey: Confidence Among Accounting and Finance Workers Holds Steady, Fewer Likely to Search for New Job

• More workers confident in the future of their employer
• More workers optimistic about the strength of the economy
• Fewer workers likely to look for a new job

Fort Lauderdale, FL, October 24, 2006 — The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among accounting and finance workers in the U.S., held steady in the third quarter of 2006, increasing 0.2 points to 62.4, according to a recent survey commissioned by Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) and conducted by Harris Interactive^®. The Employee Confidence Index edged up slightly primarily as a result of more workers citing optimism in the strength of the economy and confidence in the future of their employer.

According to the survey, 69 percent of accounting and finance workers are confident in the future of their current employers, increasing eight percentage points from the second quarter. In addition, more workers reported optimism in the strength of the economy, with 30 percent believing that the economy is getting stronger versus 27 percent in the second quarter.

As overall confidence held steady, the percentage of accounting and finance workers indicating a desire to look for a new job in the next year decreased in the third quarter. Specifically, 35 percent of workers are likely to job search, compared to 43 percent in the second quarter.

“With continued demand for high-caliber talent, fewer accounting and finance graduates, and public accounting firms being inundated with open SOX-related positions, we don’t foresee the market slowing down as 2006 comes to a close,” said Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Professional Services for Spherion^®. “Although fewer workers report that they are likely to search for a new job, we have noticed that workers are keeping their eyes open and willing to listen to other potential job offers. Workers definitely have a ‘me first’ mentality. Because of this, we are continuing to educate our clients on tapping into what really motivates potential and current employees.”

Employee Confidence Index: The latest Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among accounting and finance workers in the U.S., was 62.4 for the third quarter of 2006, increasing 0.2 points from the previous quarter. The increase in the Employee Confidence Index was a result of more workers expressing optimism in the strength of the economy and the future of their employer.

About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion Emerging Workforce^® series of employment surveys, the quarterly Accounting & Finance Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends among accounting and finance professionals across the country. Three key indices are measured: the Spherion Job Security Index, which captures how likely respondents think it is that they will lose their job or that their job will be eliminated in the next 12 months; the Spherion Job Transition Index, which captures how likely respondents are to look for a new job in the next 12 months and the Employee Confidence Index that measures employees’ overall confidence in the economy, their employer and their ability to find other employment. The Employee Confidence Index is calculated from the results of four components that reflect these aspects of employee confidence. For each component item a ‘score’ is calculated by taking the difference of the percentage of positive responses and the percentage of negative responses. These four scores are then averaged to indicate an overall level of employee confidence and is scaled from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.

Methodology
The 2006 Spherion Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive^® online survey conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 9,095 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 394 work in accounting and finance positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between July 5-7, July 11-13, August 8-10, August 15-17, September 5-7, and September 11-13 2006. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them in line with actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents’ propensity to be online.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, it can be said with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- one percentage point. Sampling error for the results of employed adults who work in work in accounting and finance positions (n=394) is plus or minus five percentage points. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing company that provides integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for 60 years, Spherion has screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs. Positions range from administrative and light industrial to a host of professions that include accounting/finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, legal, human resources and sales/marketing.

With approximately 650 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing 375,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America’s largest employers. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.

For up-to-date career tips and trends, visit Spherion’s career blog, The Big Time^SM, at www.spherion.com/careerblog.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what could conceivably be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/PR.