According to the Randstad Employee Confidence Index, employee confidence grew by 3.7 points in December to 55.4 for one of the highest optimism levels in the last year.
The Index last scored at least 55 in March 2012 as it hit 55.5. Thirty-one percent of respondents say the economy is strengthening, which is one of the highest readings of the year, while 23 percent of respondents agree more jobs are available, up from 20 percent in November.
"Our latest report is certainly a positive sign and a nice way to end a year that many classify as being a mixed bag," says Jim Link, managing director of human resources for Randstad US. "When you compare this month over December 2011's reading, we are looking at a significant eight-point increase. As various economic events occurred around us, such as the presidential election, economic conditions abroad and severe weather events, workers remained surprisingly confident throughout it all — with our Index falling only once under the 50 confidence threshold.
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"Even in the midst of fiscal cliff negotiations, employees believe employers' businesses are stabilizing and more jobs will become available in 2013. We anticipate businesses' desire for a more variable work force to increase heading into next year, and workers' desire to 'work smarter' and carve out their own career paths to increase. The most forward-looking employers are using this time to re-evaluate what motivates and retains their top performers before it's too late."
Seventy-two percent of respondents say they are highly confident regarding job security, and 59 percent of respondents say they are confident in the future of their employers. Another 49 percent of respondents say they are confident they could find new jobs, marking a year-high reading in 2012, and 34 percent of respondents expect to move into new positions, a decline of two percentage points from November.
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