Employee Confidence Declines for Third Straight Month

September 6, 2011 – The SFN Group Employee Confidence Index fell for the third consecutive month, declining 6.8 points to 41.0 in August. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, revealed waning confidence among workers, specifically in regard to the strength of the economy and the future of their current employers. Sixty-three percent of U.S. workers believe the economy has weakened, up from the 42 percent of workers who expressed a lack of confidence in July. This is an increase of 21 percentage points month-over-month. More than two-thirds (67 percent) of workers believe there are fewer jobs available, increasing six percentage points from July. “Worker confidence continued to decrease this month, reaching its lowest point since February of 2009, registering at 41.0 in August,” said Roy Krause, president and CEO of SFN Group, Inc. “There is little doubt that recent plunges in the stock market and slow employment growth in the first half of 2011 have fueled fears of another possible recession in the minds of U.S. workers. However, several signs counteract this fear based on historical trends. The temporary help sector, which is typically a leading indicator coming in and out of a recession, is still growing. And, the unemployment rate for professional talent remains below 4.5 percent.” The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the SFN Group. It surveyed 1,179 employed U.S. adults, aged 18 and over between August 10 and 12, 2011.