U.S. Workers Start Year With Measured Confidence.

The Hudson Employment Index remained on par with December’s 103.4 reading as U.S. worker confidence slipped just .8 points to 102.6 in January. The most notable change contributing to this slight decline was the flagging optimism about hiring amongst managers.

However, overall hiring expectations and job satisfaction held steady in January with only negligible shifts in employees’ perceptions of their finances and job security. Buoyed by December’s strong Index, the latest reading is higher than most recorded in 2005, although well below the 107.0 reading in January 2005.

The survey also found that Hispanic workers were less optimistic than the overall workforce, as were people who work in the legal profession. The Indexes for these sectors, segmented for the first time in this month’s survey, stood at 98.1 and 100.4, respectively.

Hiring Expectations Down Among Managers

Managers were less confident about their firms’ hiring plans in January than the previous month. Only 29 percent anticipated more hiring in the coming months, compared to 33 percent in December. They were also slightly less optimistic than workers overall, 30 percent of whom anticipated a boost in headcount (unchanged from December).

“Whereas we typically see a new year’s increase, our polling indicates that workers are approaching this year with a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude,” said Steve Wolfe, executive vice president, Hudson, North America. “This is not a great cause for concern, though, as worker sentiment remains essentially unchanged from December, which showed increased optimism overall.”

Tax Season Encourages Accounting & Finance Workers

Accounting and finance workers were more confident in January than in December, likely reflecting an anticipated increase in business during the upcoming tax season. These workers were more optimistic about their job security, personal finances and job satisfaction. However, there was only a one-point increase, to 34 percent, in the number who expected their employers to add staff.

For more information at http://www.Hudson-Index.com