The Illinois Employee Confidence Index increased 3.8 points to 45.2 in April, according to the latest Spherion Employment Report, released on May 21. The monthly survey of Illinois workers, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation, reports that fewer workers believe the economy is getting weaker and more workers are confident in the future of their current employer.
Results from the Illinois Employment Report:
· Forty-six percent of workers say they believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 14 percentage points from March.
· More workers (71 percent) are confident in the future of their current employer, a 13-percentage-point increase from the previous month.
· Sixty-eight percent of workers say they are not likely to lose their job, an increase of 13 percentage points from March.
"Although unemployment is still rising, it appears that workers' concerns about the overall economic situation are beginning to stabilize, as indicated by the continued increase in our Employee Confidence Index," said Tina Acker, regional vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. "Each day we see more and more positive news about the worst of the recession being over, so it makes sense that workers are more optimistic about the economy and job market. However, it is important to note that it is premature to categorize this activity as a trend just yet, but we remain hopeful that a recovery is on the horizon."
