HHGP Hudson Highland Grp., Inc. (MM)

Worker Confidence Rises But Personal Finances Still A Concern Hudson Employment Index(SM) Rises 1.2 Points in April NEW YORK, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Confidence among U.S. workers rose slightly in April as the Hudson Employment Index(SM) edged up 1.2 points from 101.2 to 102.4. Despite the increase, workers expressed continued uneasiness about their personal finances, likely as a result of escalating energy prices. Forty percent reported that their financial situation is worsening; this is the highest level of concern in more than a year. Additionally, the current Index is significantly lower than April 2004, when it registered at 107.0. The percent of workers expecting their firms to hire in the coming months rose one point in April to 32 percent, the highest it has been in six months. Private sector managers were especially bullish about hiring, with 44 percent expecting their firms' workforce to grow, a 10 percent increase since last month. A rise in job satisfaction also aided the Index's slight upward movement, as the percent of workers satisfied with their jobs climbed one point to 74 percent. "Companies' payroll additions are still a big question mark this month," said Jeff Anderson, senior vice president, Hudson Global Resources, North America. "Even as Hudson's data holds steady and we see increased hiring demand across diverse sectors, last month's weaker than expected jobs report means the picture is still murky. What is clear, however, is that workers are feeling the impact of higher gas prices directly in their pocketbooks, making personal finances a major factor in confidence this month." Notable movements in sector indices occurred this month. The Index for accounting and finance workers dropped 3.5 points to 103.7, particularly as a result of lowered optimism about hiring. The manufacturing sector saw an even more dramatic decline, falling ten points to 80.3. In particular, this decrease was due to lowered optimism around personal finances and more concerns around layoffs, which correlates with national trends within this sector. However, Healthcare and IT saw respectable increases, coming in at 109.5 and 114.2 respectively. When comparing reports of anticipated hiring by salary level and company size, other noteworthy differences emerged. Those individuals earning less than $40,000 per year were less optimistic about their companies' hiring plans than the previous month, as were those working at companies with more than 250 employees. In contrast, workers making more than $75,000 per year or at companies with 50-250 employees were more upbeat in April. All Private 20-40K 75-100K 50-100 250-500 Workers Sector salary salary Employees Employees Managers Personal 40% 29% 47% 28% 41% 41% Finances getting worse Expect 32% 44% 26% 39% 36% 31% hiring Happy with 74% 81% 70% 81% 71% 75% job * A more detailed data report is available at hudson-index.com. The method for calculating the Hudson Employment Index has been revised slightly effective with the March release. The revisions were based upon a review of data collected over the past year to better correlate with movements in the labor market. A comparison of the revised Index numbers with the original calculations is provided at http://www.hudson-index.com/. Hudson, one of the world's leading professional staffing, outsourcing and human capital solution providers, publishes the Hudson Employment Index, a monthly measure of U.S. workforce confidence in the employment market. Next month's Hudson Employment Index will be released on June 1, 2005. The Hudson Employment Index The Hudson Employment Index (Hudson-Index.com) measures the U.S. workforce's confidence in the employment market. Based upon monthly telephone surveys with approximately 9,000 U.S. workers, the Index tracks aggregate employment trends around career opportunities, hiring intentions, job satisfaction and retention. The data is compiled each month by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research firm (RasmussenReports.com). Survey results are segmented by eleven metropolitan cities and four industries. The metro markets are: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. Industry sectors surveyed are accounting and finance, healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing. The Hudson Employment Index also measures employee confidence by age, gender, race and compensation levels. Data reported in this release is based upon a national telephone survey of 9,371 working Americans during the month of April. The margin of sampling error for a survey based upon this many interviews is approximately 1 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. The data is not seasonally adjusted. It will be reviewed at year-end to determine if seasonal adjustments are appropriate. The Hudson Employment Index is a service mark owned by Hudson Highland Group, Inc. Hudson Hudson delivers specialized professional staffing, outsourcing and human capital solutions worldwide. From single placements to total solutions, the firm attracts, selects and develops talent to meet the specific business needs of each client. Global practice areas include Accounting & Finance; Engineering, Operations & Scientific; Healthcare; Human Resources; IT & Telecommunications; Legal; and Sales & Marketing. Hudson is a division of Hudson Highland Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HHGP) one of the world's leading professional staffing, retained executive search and human capital solution providers. More information is available at Hudson.com. Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference. DATASOURCE: Hudson CONTACT: Jennifer Bernhart of Hudson, +1-813-890-7379, ; or Anshula Ahluwalia of Ogilvy Public Relations, +1-312-397-6074, , for Hudson Web site: http://www.hudson.com/ http://www.hudson-index.com/

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