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Illinois Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Ticks Upward For Third Consecutive Month

CHICAGO, Ill., June 18, 2009 – The Illinois Employee Confidence Index slightly increased 0.4 points to 45.6 in May, according to the latest Spherion^® Employment Report. The monthly survey of Illinois workers, conducted by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation, reveals that more workers believe that the economy is getting stronger, however, fewer workers are confident in the future of their current employer.

Results from the Illinois Employment Report:

Twenty percent of workers believe the economy is getting stronger, an increase of 10 percentage points from April.
Fewer workers (53 percent) are confident in the future of their current employer, an 18-percentage-point decline from the previous month.
Forty percent of workers say they are likely to look for a new job, an increase of 11 percentage points from April.

“It appears that the nationwide signs of an easing recession have influenced workers’ belief in a strengthening economy,” says Tina Acker, regional vice president of Spherion Staffing Services. “This month’s survey saw an increase of 10 percentage points from April in the number of workers who believe the economy is getting stronger, despite an increase in the unemployment rate. We remain hopeful that the early indications of an economic rebound will result in many companies’ return to hiring.”

May 2009 Employment Report Results		Illinois Workers			U.S. Workers
		Apr	May	% Point Change	Apr	May	% Point Change
Economy	Getting Stronger	10%	20%	+10	16%	20%	+4
	Staying Same	44%	36%	-8	38%	42%	+4
	Getting Weaker	46%	43%	-3	46%	38%	-8
Job Availability	More Jobs	5%	10%	+5	5%	8%	+3
	Same Amount	13%	16%	+3	20%	21%	+1
	Fewer Jobs	82%	74%	-8	75%	71%	-4
Ability to Find New Job	Confident	37%	39%	+2	38%	42%	+4
	Neutral	40%	37%	-3	35%	34%	-1
	Not Confident	23%	24%	+1	26%	24%	-2
Future of Current Employer	Confident	71%	53%	-18	65%	63%	-2
	Neutral	21%	30%	+9	22%	25%	+3
	Not Confident	8%	17%	+9	13%	13%	0
Likelihood to Lose Job	Likely	17%	18%	+1	18%	16%	-2
	Neutral	15%	24%	+9	12%	13%	+1
	Not Likely	68%	58%	-10	70%	71%	+1
Likelihood to Look for New Job	Likely	29%	40%	+11	34%	34%	0
	Neutral	16%	16%	0	12%	12%	0
	Not Likely	55%	43%	-12	54%	53%	-1

About the Spherion Employment Report

Methodology

About Harris Interactive

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing company that provides integrated solutions and breakout specialties to meet the evolving needs of companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for more than 60 years, Spherion has sourced, screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs.

With approximately 630 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to approximately 10,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more than 215,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America’s largest employers. Spherion operates under the following brands: Spherion Staffing Services Group for administrative, clerical and light industrial workers; Technisource for technology professionals and solutions; The Mergis Group for accounting and finance and other professional positions; Todays Office Professionals for specialty administrative personnel; and Spherion Recruitment Process Outsourcing. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com.