Ohio Employee Confidence Index Drops in September, But Outlook on Strength of the Economy Increases
-
More workers believe that the economy is getting stronger
-
Perceived job availability drops by seven percentage points
-
Fewer workers express confidence in the future of their current employer
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 24, 2006 — Declining for the first time in two months, the Ohio Employee Confidence Index dropped 3.8 points to 53.2 in September according to the Ohio Employment Report. The monthly survey conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), shows that fewer workers expressing confidence in the future of their current employer and pessimism in job availability contributed to this decline.
An increasing percentage of workers are not confident in the future of their current employer. Only 52 percent of workers reported confidence, a sharp drop of 22 percentage points from the previous month. In addition, only 17 percent of workers believe more jobs are available compared to 24 percent in August.
Despite this statewide decline in the percentage of employees expressing confidence, more workers (18 percent) reported optimism in the strength of the economy, up four percentage points from August.
“Recent closings and increasing layoffs within the automobile industry and their supply plants may be affecting workers outlook on their personal job stability and the overall employment landscape. However, we are seeing a pick-up with the packaging industry, especially in the food and home products areas,” explained Robert Schulte, Spherion® franchise owner in Ohio. “That said, Ohio workers who are looking for new jobs are seeing the hiring process move along quicker, due to a shortage of available candidates.”
Employee Confidence Index: The Ohio Employee Confidence Index was 53.2 in September, decreasing 3.8 points from August. The Index, which measures adult workers’ confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, declined primarily because fewer workers reported confidence in the future of their current employer and job availability.
|
Ohio Workers |
U.S. Workers |
|
Aug |
Sep |
% Point
Change |
Aug |
Sep |
% Point
Change |
| Economy |
Getting Stronger |
14% |
18% |
+4 |
18% |
21% |
+4 |
| Staying Same |
45% |
50% |
+5 |
36% |
38% |
+2 |
| Getting Weaker |
41% |
32% |
-9 |
47% |
41% |
-6 |
| Job Availability |
More Jobs |
24% |
17% |
-7 |
24% |
25% |
+1 |
| Same Amount |
28% |
35% |
+7 |
34% |
38% |
+4 |
| Fewer Jobs |
47% |
48% |
+1 |
42% |
38% |
-4 |
| Ability to Find New Job |
Confident |
56% |
56% |
0 |
57% |
61% |
+4 |
| Neutral |
29% |
26% |
-3 |
30% |
25% |
-5 |
| Not Confident |
15% |
18% |
+3 |
14% |
13% |
-1 |
| Future of Current Employer |
Confident |
74% |
52% |
-22 |
63% |
65% |
+2 |
| Neutral |
17% |
28% |
+11 |
25% |
23% |
-2 |
| Not Confident |
9% |
20% |
+11 |
13% |
12% |
-1 |
| Likelihood to Lose Job |
Likely |
13% |
16% |
+3 |
11% |
11% |
0 |
| Neutral |
6% |
19% |
+13 |
10% |
10% |
0 |
| Not Likely |
80% |
65% |
-15 |
79% |
79% |
0 |
| Likelihood to Look for New Job |
Likely |
34% |
42% |
+8 |
35% |
36% |
+1 |
| Neutral |
5% |
11% |
+6 |
11% |
10% |
-1 |
| Not Likely |
61% |
47% |
-14 |
54% |
54% |
0 |
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® QuickQuerySM online omnibus conducted on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 3,071 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, of whom 139 are employed in Ohio (for Aug 2006 n=161), 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 Ohio 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 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, visit http://go.hpolsurveys.com/PR.
|
