More than half of workers from around the globe surveyed by Monster Worldwide Inc. said they felt the same or were more optimistic when asked "How do you feel about the job market compared to six months ago?"

Nine percent said they were "much more optimistic," 17% said they were "more optimistic" and 26% said they feel about the same -- totaling 52%, according to the survey's results released today.

Twenty percent of workers said they were less optimistic, and 27% said they were much less optimistic, according to the Monster poll.

The survey results included some 30,000 respondents.