The Conference Board’s U.S. consumer confidence index improved moderately in May after decreasing in April. The index now stands at a reading of 83.0 (1985=100), up from 81.7 in April.

“Consumer confidence improved slightly in May, as consumers assessed current conditions, in particular the labor market, more favorably,” said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. “Expectations regarding the short-term outlook for the economy, jobs and personal finances were also more upbeat. In fact, the percentage of consumers expecting their incomes to grow over the next six months is the highest since December 2007 (20.2 percent). Thus, despite last month’s decline, consumers’ confidence appears to be growing.”

The number of consumers anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increased to 15.4 percent in May from 14.7 percent in April, according to the index’s survey, while those expecting fewer jobs edged up to 18.3 percent from 18.0 percent. Those saying jobs are “plentiful” rose to 14.1 percent from 13.0 percent; those claiming jobs are “hard to get” decreased slightly to 32.3 percent from 32.8 percent.