LoginThe Randstad Employee Confidence Index (ECI) edged up for the second consecutive time in March 2013, reaching 53.9 points. The ECI tracked 1,185 working American adults during the month, surveying workers' personal confidence and perspectives on the economic situation.
Though overall the index was up in third month of 2013, employees' confidence in the future of the hiring market slipped some, with 52 believing there are fewer jobs available, up from 47 percent in February 2013. Almost half of employees believed that they would be able to find a new job if they were to look, according to the ECI.
Randstad's March 2013 numbers also indicated a strong upswing in employee confidence in the companies they worked for. Month-to-month, faith in employers jumped 10 percent from 56 percent in February to 63 percent in March. The majority of workers surveyed did not anticipate being involved a job-hunt in the next twelve months.
Increased employee confidence was reflected in March 2013 sales numbers put out by auto-makers. According to Time magazine, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, General Motors and Nissan all reported increased sales during the month. Some, like Chrysler, reported their strongest numbers since the start of the Great Recession.
According to the Washington Times, increased purchases of expensive durable goods such as cars signal consumer confidence in the overall direction of the economy.