HHGP Hudson Highland Grp., Inc. (MM)

U.S. Workers Favor Bush on Personal Employment Issues; Split on Overall Job Creation Political Lines Emphasized in Divide Between Company, Entrepreneurial and Government Employees; Economy's Direction Remains in Question NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. workers are evenly divided as to whether President George W. Bush or Senator John Kerry would be better at job creation. A Hudson survey of employed U.S. individuals found that 44 percent believe President Bush would fare better at creating jobs while 43 percent think Senator Kerry would be better. When the question is brought closer to home and workers are asked who would be better at creating jobs for their own companies, 44 percent said Bush while only 36 percent named Kerry. On a related topic, 47 percent of employees believe their personal finances will fare better if Bush wins while 41 percent say the same about Kerry administration. "It is important to recognize that job-related issues are just one area of concern for U.S. workers," said Thomas B. Moran, president for Hudson Global Resources, North America. "In fact, the economy and jobs came in second to national security as the number one voting issue." Thirty-six percent of workers named national security as the most important issue while only 27 percent ranked the economy and jobs as their top priority. The polling revealed stark contrasts among perceptions of government employees, entrepreneurs and those who work for companies. By a 49 percent to 33 percent margin entrepreneurs assert that Bush would be better than Kerry at creating jobs in their own organization. By a 43 percent to 36 percent margin, those who work for companies in the private sector share that view. However, government employees have the opposite perspective -- 44 percent think Kerry will be better for job growth within their organization while 36 percent name Bush. Differences between employees extend to their partisan identity. Among government employees there are more Democrats (39 percent) than Republicans (33 percent). The reverse is true among entrepreneurs (40 percent Republican, 34 percent Democrat). Those who work for a private sector company are fairly evenly divided (36 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat). When asked if elections were held today, 50 percent of U.S. workers would vote for Bush and 43 percent for Kerry, with three percent undecided. The workforce stands divided on the current state of the economy. While 37 percent of U.S. workers describe the economy as excellent or good, roughly a third (32 percent) rate it as poor. Furthermore, 41 percent of workers believe the economy is getting better in comparison to 46 percent who say it is getting worse. Also, 38 percent believe that the U.S. is in a recession whereas 44 percent do not believe so. The Hudson election survey was based upon telephone interviews with 2,152 workers conducted between October 14 and 20, 2004. The interviews were conducted by Rasmussen Reports, an independent public opinion research firm based in New Jersey. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. 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://www.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 Highland Group, Inc. CONTACT: Jennifer Bernhart of Hudson, +1-813-890-7379, ; or Anshula Ahluwalia for Hudson, +1-312-397-6074, Web site: http://www.hudson.com/

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