Ohio Employment Report: Employee Confidence Trends Upward

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 19, 2008 — Despite months of job loss in Ohio, the Ohio Employee Confidence Index inched up in November, increasing 1.7 points to 38.2, according to the latest Spherion

®

Employment Report. The monthly survey conducted by Harris Interactive^®on behalf of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN), indicates that more workers are confident in the future of their current employer and believe it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next year.

Results from the Ohio Employment Report:

• Three-fourths (75 percent) of workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of seven percentage points from October.

• Thirty percent of workers are not confident in their ability to find a new job, representing a five percentage point decrease from the previous month. 

• Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of workers are confident in the future of their current employer, an increase of six percentage points from October.

• More workers believe it is unlikely they will lose their jobs in the next year. Specifically, 80 percent of workers reported that it was unlikely versus 74 percent the previous month.

“We are pleased to see an increase in this month’s Index,” said

Robert Schulte, Spherion franchise owner in Ohio

. “Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty that is being felt on a national scale, according to our latest Employment Report, workers in Ohio seem to be a little more optimistic in regards to the state of the economy and their own personal employment situations. Although Ohio continues to take a hit in our state’s primary sectors of manufacturing and construction, eight out of 10 workers surveyed indicate that they believe they are unlikely to lose their jobs. As we approach 2009, it is crucial that employers continue to communicate with their employees about the current state of the economy and the direction of their company heading into next year. Companies who encourage frequent and open dialogue with their employees are likely to be in a more strategic position to retain talent as we prepare to weather these tough economic times.”

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 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 700 locations in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing more than 300,000 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, visithttp://www.spherion.com.

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