Source: bizjournals.com

Confidence among Florida workers decreased a little in July, according to a recent review conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corp. The Florida Employee Confidence Index slipped 0.8 points to 59.6 in July, primarily due to reduce in the number of workers reporting they were sure in their ability to find a new job. The index dropped 3.4 percent from July 2005.

The index measures adult workers confidence in their individual employment situation and the macroeconomic environment.

Despite the drop, workers uttered confidence in the bigger economic situation. Twenty-seven percent of workers reported that the economy is getting stronger, up 14 percentage points from June. Additionally, the percentage of workers representing that more jobs are accessible increased 6 percentage points to 37 percent.

Although workers overall confidence was down 0.8 percentage points in July, they continue to report high levels of optimism in the strength of the economy and availability of jobs. Florida's increased job creation, coupled with a low unemployment rate, creates a very strong job market, said Dawn Gill, district director of Florida for Spherion Staffing Services, in a release.
We anticipate more employers will examine their current pool of candidates and evaluate ways to boost their retention efforts. We are seeing most businesses feel the strain of a tight labor market, especially with finance and accounting, technology, call center, distribution and manufacturing positions, she said.