U.S. Worker Confidence Ends 2013 on a High-Note

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In tandem with broader economic indicators, the Randstad US Employee Confidence Index, which tracks U.S. workers' perspectives around jobs and the economy each month, rose 0.7 points to 55.2 in December 2013. The Randstad Employment Tracker was conducted online by Harris Interactive between December 3 and 5 on behalf of Randstad and included 1,104 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

The Randstad Employee Confidence Index findings aligned with The Conference Board's December consumer confidence index -- which climbed to 78.1 from 72 in November. Similarly, both reports show greater optimism in the labor market, economy and job availability.

"Despite the dip during the government shutdown, 2013 has proven to be very positive regarding confidence expressed by U.S. employees and overall job creation in the final few months of the year," said Jim Link, Chief HR Officer, Randstad North America. "For the second year in a row, the Randstad US Employee Confidence Index has consistently registered over 50 points -- our official indicator signifying an overall positive sentiment. As we head into 2014, we predict continued job growth as forecasts remain positive in several key sectors, including energy, healthcare, technology and manufacturing."

Randstad, the second largest staffing and HR services firm in the world, has been tracking workforce trends and publishing the U.S. Employee Confidence Index since 2004. 

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 U.S., 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 5,660 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of nearly 100,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of more than 900 branches and client-dedicated locations.

Learn more at www.randstad.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.

Methodology
This 2013 Randstad Employment Tracker was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad between December 3-5, 2013 among a U.S. sample of 1,104 employed adults, aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education, and region. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us -- and our clients -- stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Randstad