HHGP Hudson Highland Grp., Inc. (MM)

Hudson Employment Index(SM) Declines in May Monthly Measure of Employee Attitudes Decreases to 104.8 NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hudson Employment Index(SM) in May declined to 104.8 from 107.1 the previous month. This is the Index's lowest reading this year, although it remains up nearly five percent over December 2003. The Index measures the U.S. workforce's confidence in the employment market. Overall, the number of employees who report that their companies are adding jobs is at 32 percent, down a single point from both March and April (see chart). The percentage of managers who say their firms are hiring also dropped two points to 33 percent over this period. Also, the number of workers worried about losing their jobs inched up to 19 percent, as compared to 18 percent last month. Percentage of respondents who say their companies will hire in coming months. Dec 03 Jan Feb Mar Apr May All Workers 29 31 31 33 33 32 Managers 32 33 32 35 35 33 Private-Sector Employees 32 36 36 38 39 39 "Collectively, the trend data over recent months suggests a labor market that may be taking a breather in May after gaining momentum since the beginning of the year," said Jeff Anderson, senior vice president of Hudson Global Resources. Even though the percentage of workers saying their firms are hiring fell following the steady increase through the early months of the year, these figures still remain higher than they were in December and January. In addition, private-sector employees continued to be optimistic about the job market. The number who reported hiring by their companies remained steady at 39 percent. Hudson, one of the world's leading professional staffing, outsourcing and human capital solution providers, publishes the Hudson Employment Index, a monthly measure of the U.S. workforce's confidence in the employment market. Next month's Hudson Employment Index will be released on June 30, 2004. The Hudson Employment Index The Hudson Employment Index (http://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 Index is compiled each month by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research firm (http://rasmussenreports.com/). Data reported in this release is based upon a national telephone survey of 9,023 working Americans during the month of May. 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 assesses, recruits 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 http://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://hudson-index.com/ http://rasmussenreports.com/

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