The Randstad Employee Confidence Index increased 3.7 points in December to 55.4, ending the year with one of the highest levels of optimism recorded over the last 12 months.  The last time the Index scored 55 or above was in March 2012 when it reached 55.5.  Randstad's Index, which measures employee insights on jobs, the economy, and their personal employment situation, found more workers believe the economy is not only getting stronger, but there are also more jobs available. This month, a greater number of employed adults also indicated they could land a new job in the next 12 months.

"Our latest report is certainly a positive sign and a nice way to end a year that many classify as being a mixed bag," said Randstad US managing director of human resources Jim Link . "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 50.0 confidence threshold.  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 workforce 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."

Look Inside the Report:

Employee Confidence Increases in December

• The Randstad Employee Confidence Index increased 3.7 points to 55.4 in December—the second highest reading all year

U.S. Workers More Optimistic Around Economic Future, Jobs

• In the last month of the year, 31 percent of employees indicated the economy is getting stronger, one of the highest readings all year
• More employees, 23 percent, believe there are more jobs available (compared to 20 percent in November)

Employees Remain Secure in their Jobs, Confident in the Future of their Companies

• Employees continue to report high levels of confidence when it comes to their own job security, with 72 percent reporting they feel secure
• Building on this stability, a majority of workers (59 percent) remain confident in the future of their current employers   

A Third of Workers Plan to Transition to a New Job in the New Year

• Thirty-four percent of employees indicated they plan to transition to a new job in 2013, down two percentage points from November 2012
• Forty-nine percent of workers are confident in their ability to find a new job, a year high reading for 2012

The Randstad U.S. Employee Confidence Index measures workforce trends across the country since 2004.

Additional Insight