Spherion Corp.'s (NYSE: SFN) employee confidence index posted little change in September -- falling to a reading of 49.4, down 0.5 of a point from August.

The number of U.S. workers who believe the economy is getting stronger rose to 27% in September, up three percentage points from August, according to the index's survey. However, fewer were confident in their abilities to find new jobs -- falling to 38% in September from 40% in August.

"The recent variability seen in our index over the last few months indicates that it will take a longer period of time to see consistent month-over-month increases in overall confidence," President and CEO Roy Krause said. "There is no doubt that every sector of the economy has been affected by this economic downturn. Businesses, as well as consumers, are holding their breath in hopes that the worst of this is behind us -- and I feel confident that we are getting closer to that point."

The index's survey questioned 3,375 employed adults in the U.S.