Administrative & Clerical Worker Confidence Virtually Unchanged; Index Level Lowest Among All Industries Tracked by Randstad

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Dec 12, 2012, 12:39 ET

ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Randstad Administrative Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. administrative and clerical workers, although virtually unchanged, dropped for the second consecutive quarter to 47.8—the lowest confidence level among all industries tracked by Randstad, including accounting and finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare and engineering.

"For the most part, administrative and clerical workers feel the same in terms of their confidence in the economy, job market, and their personal employment situation when compared to the second quarter," said Phyllis Finley, executive vice president at Randstad US.

The Index dropped 0.3 points from the previous quarter's reading, according to a recent online survey of 423 administrative workers conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad.

"Although the majority of workers in the administrative and clerical function believe fewer jobs are available, a third of them are also stating they are confident in their ability to find one," said Finley. "In fact, the November Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation report showed an increase of 22,300 new jobs in the administrative and support services sector. Also, when you look at year-over-year trends in our own confidence report, overall sentiment is up by 6.2 points from this time last year. What this tells us is that this incremental drop in overall confidence should not be considered a trend just yet."

Q3, 2012 Survey Highlights:

Over Forty Percent of Administrative Workers Believe Economy is Weakening

Forty-two percent of administrative and clerical workers believe the strength of the economy is weakening, while 20 percent say the economy is strengthening. More than one-third (37 percent) say the strength of the economy is staying the same.

Majority of Administrative Workers Believe Fewer Jobs are Available

Only 16 percent of administrative workers in the third quarter believe more jobs are available, while a little more than half (56 percent) believe there are fewer opportunities available.

Administrative Workers Evenly Split on their Confidence to Find Jobs

When asked how optimistic they are in their ability to find employment, one-third of administrative workers indicate that they are confident they could find a job. Another 35 percent are neutral on the subject, while 32 percent say they are not confident in their ability to find a job.

High Number of Administrative Workers Feel Confident in their Employers' Future

Nearly six-in-ten administrative workers (58 percent) feel confident in the future of their current employer, with only 15 percent feeling not confident in the future of their company.

Nearly One-Third of Administrative Workers Likely to Job Search

Thirty percent of administrative workers say they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months. Fifty-three percent say they are not likely to do so.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad from July 10-12, August 14-16 and September 11-13, 2012, among 3,960 adults ages 18 and older of which 423 are employed in administrative and clerical positions. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Randstad
Randstad is a $22.5 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. From temporary staffing to permanent placement to inhouse, professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad holds top positions around the world and has approximately 28,700 corporate employees working from its nearly 4,700 branches and inhouse locations in 40 countries. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam.

Learn more at http://www.randstadstaffing.com.

SOURCE Randstad