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Poll finds worker confidence in pay and prospects drop

Posted on May 6th, 2013 Read time: 1 minutes

HR administrations might want to consider examining their company's payroll management due to more workers feeling insecure about the security of their income and benefits. The new Harris Poll Jobs and Benefits Security Index found less employees are confident about their career prospects than in March.

The poll surveyed 935 members of the workforce in April about their job and benefits security. The survey found 53 percent of employees project to do more work without getting increased compensation within the next three months, which is up from exactly half from the previous month. Almost a quarter also believe their salary or hours may be reduced during the summer and only 55 percent think that if they need to find another job they will be able to, which is down from 61 percent in March.

Of the polled workforce, employees with an annual household income of $50,000 to $74,000 were the most concerned over their salary and benefits, with 62 percent saying they were worried about their overall prospects. 

Al Angrisani, president and chief executive officer at Harris Interactive, believes the rising pessimism among the workers should be addressed by employers. 

"Escalation in the index also speaks to structural changes occurring in today's workplace, with employers seeking growth in worker productivity, at the expense of hiring a new full time employee with increasing tax and benefits costs," Angrisani said. "Recruiting and hiring talent and new employees appears to have become a major investment consideration for employers and this new phenomenon is contributing to an increase in job 'insecurity' within corporate America."

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