Workers’ Confidence Declines in August
A number of factors we talk about often, such as rising Florida mortgage expenses and the costs of insurance and energy, top the list of concerns among the state’s employees. As a result, the Florida Employee Confidence Index dipped 2.1 points to 57.5 in August, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corp.
Overall worker confidence has fallen off sharply primarily because fewer Sunshine State workers reported optimism in the strength of the Florida economy and confidence in their ability to find a job.
Although the survey shows the Employee Confidence Index dropped in August, workers remained confident in the future of their employer. Specifically, 61 percent of workers are confident in the future of their employer, which represents no change from July.
The Ft. Lauderdale company noted workers’ feelings about their own job security remained upbeat, with only 8 percent reporting it’s likely their jobs will be eliminated in the next 12 months, down 7 percentage points from July.
“Considering the instability of the stock market, slowdown of the Florida housing market and higher energy costs, it is no surprise that confidence took a dip this month,” said Dawn Gill, district director of Florida for Spherion, in a release.
“Qualified candidates continue to be very difficult to find and because of this employers are more willing to recruit applicants from outside their city or state job market. In addition to this trend, we are seeing more personality tests being given to candidates to make sure that new hires not only have the right skills, but also the right cultural fit for the organization,” she said.
The cost of living in the state has risen much faster than employee salaries, resulting in plenty of concern among workers and government officials alike. In addition to the cost of buying a house, there are all the expenses that go with it. Energy costs, property insurance and local taxes all add up to take a major bite out of monthly income.
