Randstad employee confidence index rises for second consecutive month
back to overviewU.S. worker confidence reaches highest level in nine months
NEW YORK, 03.05.12 – The Randstad Employee Confidence Index increased for the second consecutive month in February, rising 1.5 points to 53.9. This marks the highest level of employee confidence recorded since May of last year, with employees feeling more confident in their personal employment situations and the macroeconomic environment overall.
“We are very pleased to see our U.S. Employee Confidence Index jump start 2012 on a high note,” said Joanie Ruge, senior vice president and chief employment analyst for Randstad US. “The first two months of the year have both registered slightly higher than the indices reported in January and February of 2011. In fact, our latest Index is consistent with other positive economic indicators, such as job creation, a decrease in unemployment claims, and the U.S. economy growing a higher-than-anticipated three percent in the final three months of 2011. Many watch employee confidence indicators because steady increases may signal rises in consumer spending—which makes up 70 percent of economic activity. But, with rising gas prices and continued concerns over the European debt crisis, many U.S. workers and employers, remain cautiously optimistic until they see more of a steady stream of positive news over the next few months.”
The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad and surveyed 1,453 employed U.S. adults, aged 18 and over between February 15-17, 2012.
A Look Inside the Report
Confidence in Overall Situation:
- Employee Confidence is at its highest level since May of 2011. Prior to this time, the highest score was recorded in October of 2007, with worker confidence recorded at 56.4. This increase over the last few months indicates that U.S. workers are feeling more positive about their personal employment situations and in the overall economy.
Confidence in Macroeconomic Environment:
- While more confident overall, employees are split on the strength of the economy, with 30 percent reporting that the economy is getting better; 37 percent feel it is staying the same; and 33 percent believe the economy is getting weaker.
- 19 percent of those surveyed believe there are more jobs available, up one percent from last month and six percent from December 2011.
Confidence in Personal Employment Situation:
- 43 percent of employees surveyed are confident in their ability to find a job, up six percent from January.
- Overall, employees continue to remain confident in the future of their employers, with 59 percent indicating their confidence—a two percent decrease from the previous month.
Job Security:
- 69 percent of employees feel it is unlikely they will lose their jobs. This number is down three percent from last month.
Job Transition:
- For the third consecutive month, slightly more than one-third of workers (34 percent) believe it is likely that they will look for a new job within the next 12 months.
- More than half of workers surveyed (53 percent) are not likely to look for new positions in the next year.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online in the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad from February 15-17, 2012 among 1,453 employed adults, aged 18 years and older. The survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education, and region. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
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