Working? You're Less Confident About It

A new Spherion Employment Report finds that the New York Employee Confidence Index decreased 2.2 points to 56.7 in June,  a decrease they say is fueled by an increasing number of workers that believe the job market is getting weaker. Still, the index is 8.1 points higher than it was this time last year, indicating that concerns about the job market have not fallen by any catastrophic number in the latest survey.

The report also finds that  17% of New York workers believe that the economy is getting stronger, a four-percentage-point decrease from May; that fewer workers are optimistic in the availability of jobs, with 41% saying that fewer jobs are available, a six point increase from May; and that despite the drop in confidence, workers are overall still optimistic about their prospects in the job market.

"I believe the drop in overall worker confidence in June is understandable, considering the economic uncertainty that persists, a weak housing market and business changes we've seen across the state," said Rich Mazelsky, regional vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. "What I find most interesting about our report is that a majority of workers are still feeling good about their job prospects, despite the fact that many feel the job market is slowing. We've got a confident group of workers that know they are in the driver's seat and still plan to change jobs. And, as the summer continues and we gear up for holiday season, we expect even more opportunities to become available for those who decide to make a change."

The full report is [here].