Spherion Survey: Accounting and Finance Worker Confidence Triggers Year-End Rise, Outlook on Economy and Personal Employment Situation Up
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., January 22, 2007 — Worker confidence among accounting and finance workers rose in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to a recent survey commissioned by Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) and conducted by Harris Interactive®. The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among accounting and finance workers in the U.S., increased 2.2 points to 64.6 as more workers reported being optimistic about the economy and confident in their personal employment situation, compared to the U.S. Index of 59.6.
Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:
- The percentage of workers concerned that the economy is getting weaker decreased by seven percentage points to 29 percent in the fourth quarter.
- The percentage of workers expressing confidence in their ability to find a new job is unchanged. Specifically, 63 percent reported optimism versus 62 percent in the third quarter.
- Seventy-one percent of accounting and finance workers reported confidence in the future of their employer, compared to 69 percent in the third quarter.
“In 2006, the demand for accounting and finance workers far outstripped the supply of available talent,” said Brendan Courtney, senior vice president of Professional Services for Spherion®. “I don’t see this trend fading away anytime soon, as the number of students entering into this profession falls short of open positions. Compliance rules and regulations related to Sarbanes-Oxley have forced companies to increase their staff by thousands, especially for internal auditors and CPAs. The need for business savvy project managers with sharp skills in system integration and process improvement will also remain very active. From what we have seen, there is no indication that things will slowdown. It looks like we are in for another very strong year for accounting and finance professionals.”
|
Accounting & Finance Workers |
U.S. Workers |
|
3Q 2006 |
4Q 2006 |
% Point
Change |
3Q 2006 |
4Q 2006 |
% Point
Change |
| Economy |
Getting Stronger |
30% |
30% |
0 |
20% |
25% |
+5 |
| Staying Same |
34% |
41% |
+7 |
36% |
40% |
+4 |
| Getting Weaker |
36% |
29% |
-7 |
44% |
36% |
-8 |
| Job Availability |
More Jobs |
30% |
31% |
+1 |
25% |
27% |
+2 |
| Same Amount |
33% |
38% |
+5 |
36% |
37% |
+1 |
| Fewer Jobs |
37% |
31% |
-6 |
39% |
36% |
-3 |
| Ability to Find New Job |
Confident |
62% |
63% |
+1 |
58% |
59% |
+1 |
| Neutral |
28% |
27% |
-1 |
28% |
26% |
-2 |
| Not Confident |
11% |
10% |
-1 |
14% |
14% |
0 |
| Future of Current Employer |
Confident |
69% |
71% |
+2 |
64% |
65% |
+1 |
| Neutral |
24% |
21% |
-3 |
24% |
23% |
-1 |
| Not Confident |
7% |
8% |
+1 |
12% |
13% |
+1 |
| Likelihood to Lose Job |
Likely |
12% |
9% |
-3 |
11% |
11% |
0 |
| Neutral |
9% |
5% |
-4 |
10% |
10% |
0 |
| Not Likely |
79% |
86% |
+7 |
79% |
79% |
0 |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job |
Likely |
35% |
37% |
+2 |
35% |
36% |
+1 |
| Neutral |
8% |
11% |
+3 |
10% |
10% |
0 |
| Not Likely |
57% |
52% |
-5 |
54% |
53% |
-1 |
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 Accounting & Finance Employment Report for the fourth quarter is based on data from a Harris Interactive® online survey conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 10,693 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 507 work in accounting and finance positions, was interviewed in a series of polls conducted between October 3-5, October 9-11, November 7-9, November 15-17, December 6-8, and December 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 would 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=507) would be plus or minus four 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 TimeSM, 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.
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