Accounting Worker Confidence Slides

Accounting and finance industry workers' confidence about the employment market slid for the seventh consecutive month in April, according to a poll by staffing firm Hudson.

Hudson said the decline was the result of heightened concerns about job loss and personal finances. In April, the accounting industry's Employment Index slid 3.5 points, to 103.7, from its March levels and is off nearly 20 points from its peak of 122.7 in September 2004.

Since March, the percent of accounting workers expecting their firms to hire fell from 34 percent to 31 percent, the lowest level in more than a year. Job security also fell, with the percent of accounting and finance workers worried about job loss rising from 20 percent to 23 percent.

Sector workers were less optimistic about their personal finances. The percent that reported that the situation is getting better fell from 48 percent to 46 percent, while respondents rating their personal finances as excellent or good decreased during April from 53 percent to 50 percent . Heightened concerns about personal finances have been a concern for workers across all industries, as energy prices continue to skyrocket, Hudson noted.

Meanwhile, Hudson said the national Employment Index for all workers rose slightly, to 102.4, up from 101.2 in March.

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