Saint Louis Job News & Opportunities St. Louis Front Page is a weekly news publication, with daily updates, spotlighting attractions, events, business and hospitality in St. Louis, Missouri and Southwest Illinois. St. Louis News Community Info St. Louis Job News St. Louis CitySide Business News St. Charles News Southwest, IL News Fairview Heights,IL Art Gallery News Hotel News Restaurant News Style St. Louis Not Just For Kids   Downtown Map America's Center Busch Stadium Gateway Arch Scottrade Center Laclede's Landing Old Courthouse Union Station Washington Avenue   Metropolitan Map Casinos Clayton, MO Grand Center Grant's Farm Forest Park Kimmswick, MO MO Botanical Garden Soulard St. Charles, MO West Port Plaza Transportation Lambert Airport How To Reach Us: St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com More Workers Express Concern about Economy ST. LOUIS, MO, (PRNewswire-FirstCall), April 8, 2007 - Economic confidence levels among U.S. workers dipped in March, according to a recent survey of 3,044 working adults. The Spherion(R) Employee Confidence Index, a monthly gauge of overall worker confidence, decreased 3.3 points to 57.1 in March. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation, shows that fewer workers believe the economy and job market is strengthening, but also revealed that a majority of workers remained optimistic about their personal employment opportunities. According to the survey, the percentage of workers who believe the economy is strengthening dropped seven percentage points from 24 percent in February to 17 percent in March. Despite the decline in macroeconomic sentiment, the percentage of workers admitting they didn't feel their jobs were in danger of being eliminated in the next year remained unchanged at 80 percent for the second consecutive month. In addition, more than half (58 percent) were confident in their own ability to find a new job. "While the economy still looks relatively healthy, recent concerns about continued growth, coupled with rising energy prices and stock market volatility has certainly affected workers' viewpoint on the economy and job market," said Roy Krause, president and chief executive officer of Spherion. "Therefore, the dip in confidence is not entirely unexpected, but it's interesting to note that the survey continues to indicate that workers have remained positive about their own job situations. This has held true over the past few years, regardless of economic conditions, showing us that American workers do not necessarily connect short-term macro trends to their personal career decisions." Employee Confidence Index: Percentage of U.S. Workers Reporting Confidence Dips The Employee Confidence Index was 57.1 in March, falling 3.3 points from February. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the macroeconomic environment, declined as more workers were less optimistic about the economy, job availability and their personal employment situation. The Index is 1.1 point lower than the level reported in March 2006. -- Macroeconomic Confidence Index Decreases: Worker optimism in the economy dropped to its lowest level recorded in 2007. The Macroeconomic Confidence Index decreased 4.9 points to 41 in March, as worker optimism in job availability and strength of the economy waned. The Index level is 1.1 point lower than a year ago. Specific findings from the Macroeconomic Confidence Index include: -- 24 percent of U.S. adult workers believe that more jobs are available, down four percentage points from the previous month -- 17 percent of U.S. adult workers believe the economy is getting stronger, decreasing seven percentage points from February -- Personal Confidence Index Falls: The Personal Confidence Index declined 1.7 points to 73.2 in March, as fewer workers were confident in the future of their current employer and their ability to find a new job. The Index is 1.2 point lower than the level recorded in March 2006. Specific findings from the Personal Confidence Index include: -- 63 percent of U.S. adult workers feel confident in the future of their current employer, a two-percentage-point drop from February -- 58 percent of U.S. adult workers have confidence in their own ability to find a new job, compared to 60 percent in the previous month Job Security Index: 80 Percent of Workers Remain Confident in Their Job Security For the second consecutive month, 80 percent of the U.S. workforce believes that it is unlikely that they will lose their jobs in the next twelve months. The Job Security Index is two percentage points higher than the level reported one year ago. One out of three (33%) workers is likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The Index is at the same level reported in March 2006. 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