Employee Confidence Reaches Annual Low in December
January 05 2005 - 6:01AM
PR Newswire (US)
Employee Confidence Reaches Annual Low in December Hudson
Employment Index(SM) Drops 1.3 Points; Annual Comparison Reveals
Greater Optimism Heading Into New Year NEW YORK, Jan. 5
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hudson Employment Index(SM) fell 1.3
points in December to 103.6, its lowest reading of 2004. Key
attributing factors included a drop in worker ratings of personal
finances and increased expectations of staff cuts. However, the
Index has risen 3.6 points year over year, reflecting an overall
improvement in worker outlook compared to December 2003. While
national hiring expectations held at the same level as the previous
month (31 percent), optimism about hiring among private-sector
employees declined two points to 35 percent in December. Still,
both of these figures reflect increases over last year's levels.
Men were significantly more confident about their companies' hiring
plans than women (34 percent vs. 26 percent), as were higher
earners. Only 27 percent of employees earning between
$20,000-$40,000 a year anticipated increased hiring in their firms,
compared to 46 percent of employees earning over $100,000 a year.
The percentage of U.S. workers who expect staff layoffs and those
worried about losing their own jobs both increased a percentage
point to 19 percent in December. By comparison, a year ago, 17
percent expected layoffs and 20 percent were worried about losing
their own jobs. The percentage of workers rating their personal
finances as excellent or good dropped two points to 43 percent.
Further, 37 percent of workers reported that their finances are
getting worse, a one-point increase since November. While ratings
are generally higher than last year, signaling increased
prosperity, the outlook for personal finances is more pessimistic
than a year ago. Percentage of respondents who say their companies
are hiring in coming months: Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Sep Oct Nov Dec '03 '04 All Workers 29 31 31 33 33 32 34 33 33 32
34 31 31 Managers 32 33 32 35 35 33 36 34 34 33 35 32 33 Private-
Sector Employees 32 36 36 38 39 39 39 39 39 38 39 37 35 "Despite
the fact that the workforce has lowered its hiring expectations and
has lingering financial concerns, future employment prospects look
promising," said Jeff Anderson, senior vice president, Hudson
Global Resources, North America. "The number of workers expecting
their next jobs to be better increased two percentage points in the
last month -- and six in the last year -- which means that workers
still feel there is room for personal career improvement." Starting
this month, the Hudson Employment Index will measure geographic
employee confidence in six new cities: Atlanta, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Tampa and Washington, D.C. It
currently segments local market job confidence in Boston, Chicago,
Dallas, New York, and San Francisco. The Hudson Employment Index
will also measure employee confidence segmented by age, gender,
race and compensation levels. 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 February 2, 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 Index is compiled each month by
Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research firm
(RasmussenReports.com). Data reported in this release is based upon
a national telephone survey of 9,224 working Americans during the
month of December. 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 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.hhgroup.com/
Copyright
Hudson Highland (NASDAQ:HHGP)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2024 to Jun 2024
Hudson Highland (NASDAQ:HHGP)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2023 to Jun 2024