The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index for the US rose in May to a reading of 95.4 (1985=100), from an April reading of 94.3, The Conference Board announced today.

“Consumer confidence improved modestly in May, after declining sharply in April,” said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. “After a three-month slide, the present situation Index increased, propelled by a more positive assessment of the labor market. Expectations, however, were relatively flat following a steep decline in April. While current conditions in the second quarter appear to be improving, consumers still remain cautious about the short-term outlook.”

Consumers were mixed in their assessment of the job market. Those stating jobs are “plentiful” increased to 20.7% from 19.0% who said the same in April, and those claiming jobs are “hard to get” rose to 27.3% from 25.9%. Those anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increased to 14.6% from 13.8%, while those anticipating fewer jobs fell to 15.5% from 16.4%.