Confidence Rebounds Among Office & Administrative Workers in the First Quarter of 2014

ATLANTA, May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Q1 Randstad Office & Administrative Confidence Index, overall optimism improved slightly this quarter, rising to 51.3 from 47.6 in the previous quarter.  The survey, which measures overall confidence among U.S. office and administrative professionals, was conducted online among 376 workers in this sector by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad.

One-quarter (22%) of workers surveyed believe the economy is strengthening versus 17 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. Also, nearly three-quarters (72%) of office and administrative workers are confident in their job security in the first quarter of 2014, rising two percentage points from the previous quarter. Despite this increased sense of job security, nearly 40 percent (37%) of office and administrative workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months.

"As evidenced by the incredibly high level of job security among office and administrative workers, companies are increasingly relying upon these professionals to efficiently and effectively run key functions of their business," said Traci Fiatte, Group President, Randstad Staffing. "In fact, according to the most recent International Association of Administrative Professionals' Benchmarking Survey, 67 percent of these workers are responsible for key purchasing decisions within their respective companies and the average value of corporate purchasing decisions made by each administrative professional is $20,000.

"Furthermore, we anticipate that the need for secretaries and other office professionals will grow within the medical sector due to healthcare reform," Fiatte continued. "Additional administrative support will be needed to handle added tasks related to healthcare reform, such as billing, insurance processes and federal reimbursement paperwork. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical secretaries is projected to grow 36 percent between 2012 and 2022, much faster than the average for all other occupations."  

Q1 2014 Highlights:

Confidence in Job Availability Improves

• Compared to Q4 of 2014, 20 percent of office and administrative workers believe more jobs are available in the marketplace, an increase of seven percentage points from 13 percent in Q4.

Job Security High Among Workers

• Nearly three-quarters (72%) of office and administrative workers are confident in their job security in the first quarter of 2014, rising two percentage points from the previous quarter.

More Workers Likely to Look for New Jobs in Q1

• Nearly four-in-10 (37%) employees feel it is likely they will look for a new job in the next year, an increase of six percentage points from the previous quarter.

Office & Administrative Workers are More Confident in Their Ability to Find New Jobs

• More than one-third (37%) of office and administrative workers say they are confident in their ability to find new jobs, increasing two percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2014.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Randstad from January 6-8, February 3-5 and March 3-5, 2014 among 3,210 adults ages 18 and older of which 376 are employed in office and administrative 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 Office & Administration
Across the board, Randstad helps companies match the right people with the right jobs. We provide the expertise, the qualified talent pool and the dedicated commitment to making superior matches at a reasonable cost to companies. And we do it on the basis that best suits your needs. Whether you're looking for administrative and clerical support, or the highest caliber talent to fill higher-level jobs, we make it our business to develop office staffing solutions that work. Our exceptional resources allow us to fill an extensive range of general office and executive positions.

About Randstad US
Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services. As the third largest staffing organization in the US, Randstad holds top positions in permanent placement, office and administrative, IT and accounting and finance. From professional services, commercial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, to managed services and more, Randstad delivers a comprehensive range of temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and outsourced placement services. With its 5,324 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of approximately 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of nearly 1,000 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Learn more at www.randstadusa.com and access Randstad's panoramic US thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work. 

SOURCE Randstad