ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Randstad
Manufacturing Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall
confidence among U.S. manufacturing workers, hit its highest point
in five years, rising this quarter to 50.9. The Index increased 3.9
points from last quarter's reading of 47.0, according to a recent
online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of
Randstad.
"Manufacturing is a vital industry to economic recovery and an
indicator of the overall health of the economy. Our report shows
one of the only increases seen this quarter when compared to others
that were surveyed, in addition to the overall Index hitting a high
for the first time in five years," said Phyllis Finley, executive vice president at
Randstad US. "Despite the little change in job creation seen within
the manufacturing industry since April, we remain encouraged to see
the rise in worker confidence despite the tepid pace of job
creation.
The quarterly survey of 124 workers currently employed in the
manufacturing industry found that employees were very confident in
their ability to find new jobs, as well as in the future of their
current employers.
Q3, 2012 Survey Highlights:
Growing Number of Manufacturing Workers Believe Economy is
Picking Up
- Twenty-two percent of manufacturing workers believe the economy
is getting stronger, rising eight percentage points from the
previous quarter. Meanwhile, the percentage of workers who say the
economy is getting weaker dropped from 41 percent to 37
percent.
Jobs Are Scarce, Most Workers Say
- About half (55 percent) of manufacturing workers believe there
are fewer opportunities available (versus 53 percent in the second
quarter), while only 13 percent believe more jobs are
available.
Employees Are Feeling Confident in Their Ability to Find
Jobs
- About half (48 percent) of workers are confident in their
ability to find employment, a 13 percentage point jump from the
previous quarter. A little less than one-third (31 percent) say
they are not confident in their ability to find a job this
quarter.
Workers Are Increasingly Confident In the Future of Their
Current Employers
- The majority of manufacturing workers (64 percent) feel
confident in the future of their current employer, up from 56
percent in the previous quarter.
More Workers Likely to Job
Search
- Thirty-nine percent of manufacturing workers say they are
likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, up from 27
percent the previous quarter.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online
within the United States by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Randstad from July
10-12, August 14-16 and
September 11-13, 2012, among 3,960
adults ages 18 and older of which 124 are employed in
manufacturing. This online survey is not based on a probability
sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can
be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables, please contact lesly.cardec@randstadusa.com.
About Randstad
Randstad is a $22.5 billion global provider of HR services and
the second largest staffing organization in the world. From
temporary staffing to permanent placement to inhouse,
professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad
holds top positions around the world and has approximately 28,700
corporate employees working from its nearly 4,700 branches and
inhouse locations in 40 countries. Founded in 1960 and
headquartered in Diemen, the
Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE
Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, visit
www.randstadstaffing.com.
SOURCE Randstad
