Florida Employment Report: More Workers Confident in Ability to Find New Job, More Likely to Look for New Job

• 42 percent of workers likely to look for a new job
• More workers confident in their ability to find a new job
• More workers optimistic about strength of the economy

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., October 20, 2006 – The Florida Employee Confidence Index edged up 1.8 points to 59.3 in September, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactivec on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The latest reading is also 2.7 points above last September, when the Index registered at 56.6. This rise in the Confidence Index can be attributed to more workers reporting optimism in the strength of the economy and confidence in their ability to find a new job.

Specifically, more workers feel optimistic about the job market, with one in four workers (25 percent) indicating that the economy is getting stronger compared to 12 percent in August. Sixty-four percent of workers are also confident in their ability to find a new job, compared to 49 percent in August, and more plan to do so.

Twice as many workers reported that they plan on job searching in the next year. Forty-two percent indicated that they were likely to look for a new job, increasing 21 percentage points from August.

“I believe that workers have good reason to be confident,” said Dawn Gill, district director of Florida for Spherion^® Staffing Services. “With prices at the pump declining, a low unemployment rate and slower than expected storm activity, it is no surprise that all of our indicators went up or remained the same this month. With Florida’s unemployment rate being consistently below the national average, I don’t foresee the war for talent slowing down anytime soon, especially in our South Florida offices where we are seeing a big increase in call center, accounts payable, financial analysts and staff accountant positions.”

Employee Confidence Index: The overall Florida Employee Confidence Index was 59.3 in September, increasing 1.8 points from August 2006 and 2.7 points from September 2005. The Index, which measures adult workers’ confidence in their personal employment situation and the macroeconomic environment, rose as more workers reported optimism in the strength of the economy and confidence in their ability to find a new job.

About the Spherion Employment Report
As part of the Spherion Emerging Workforce^® Series of employment surveys, the monthly Spherion Employment Report provides a snapshot of the latest workforce trends across the country and is issued in conjunction with state and national labor market releases. 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, which measures employees’ overall confidence in the economy, the future of their employer, the availability of jobs, and their ability to find other employment. The Employee Confidence Index is based on these four components, with a ‘score’ calculated for each 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 scaled from 0 (no confidence) to 100 (complete confidence). A reading above 50 indicates a positive confidence level.

Methodology
The September 2006 Spherion Employment Report is based on data from a Harris Interactive^® QuickQuery^SM online omnibus conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,071 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 169 are employed in Florida (for Aug 2006 n= 132), was interviewed in a series of two polls conducted between 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 their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents’ propensity to be online.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 3,071 U.S. employed adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- two percentage points, and the sampling error for the Florida state sample results is plus or minus eight 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 offices 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, visit http://go.hpolsurveys.com/PR.