PHILADELPHIA, PA – December 6, 2017 Following the lowest recorded score in nearly a year, American workers’ confidence rebounded in Q3 2017 due to a significant jump in perceived likelihood of a promotion, according to the national Worker Confidence Index™, a survey of U.S. workers from HRO Today Magazine and Yoh, the leading international talent and outsourcing company owned by Day & Zimmermann. 

The index gauges workers’ perceptions of the four key drivers of worker confidence: the perceived likelihood of job loss, the perceived likelihood of a promotion, the perceived likelihood of a raise, and the perceived overall trust in company leadership.

Overall, the index increased from 99.7 in the second quarter of 2017 to 102.5 in the second quarter of 2017. The rebound was led by a jump of more than 12 points in perceived likelihood of a promotion, which rose from 93.7 to 106.3. Trust in company leadership, however, fell for the third consecutive quarter, spurring concerns about workers’ confidence in the C-suite to make sound strategic decisions. Continuing a trend since the inaugural Index, women are less confident in company leadership than men, as just 38.9% of women trust leaders compared to 46.6% of men.

“The results of this study are particularly interesting as the rise in perceived likelihood of a promotion shows individual optimism among workers, while the continuing mistrust of company leadership indicates that workers may not be confident in the overall direction of their organizations,” said Jonathan Grosso, Senior Vice President Enterprise Solutions for Yoh. “Though a rebounding Index is encouraging for employers and talent managers, it’s clear leadership needs to be more forthcoming with employees about organizational direction and take a more active role in supporting their careers.”

Other takeaways:

• Workers’ trust in company leadership is much lower among older workers compared to younger workers.

   

  
  Nearly three times as many employees aged 18-24 trust company leadership (63.8%) compared to those 65 and older (25.6%). As workers age, the Index shows fewer and fewer find reason to trust those in leadership positions.

• Perceived job security continues its steady rise, nearing heights of late 2016.
  
  

  Workers confidence in their long-term job security has risen for three consecutive quarters and now sits at 104.8. Interestingly, just 5.6% of women consider job loss likely, compared to 11.4% of men.

To view the entire study, please visit, http://www.yoh.com/hro-today-employee-well-being-study.