The Randstad Employee Confidence Index edged up for the second consecutive month, rising 0.4 of a point in March to a level of 53.9, despite confidence in the job market declining slightly. The index measures workers’ confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism about the economic environment.

Fifty-two percent of employees believe there are fewer jobs available, up 5 percentage points from February’s survey. However, worker confidence in the future of their employer rose to 63 percent in March from 56 percent in February.

“This month we saw an interesting, though not too surprising, contrast in workers’ feelings around the broader economy and their own individual confidence levels,” said Jim Link, managing director of human resources for Randstad US. “Workers seem to be increasingly cautious about what's happening in the economy as they wait to see the potential impacts from the sequestration and the $85 billion government spending cuts that took effect on March 1. In addition to the seemingly never-ending budget debates on Capitol Hill, Americans are likely feeling wary due to continued gas price and payroll tax concerns.”

The study, conducted online by Harris Interactive, surveyed 1,185 U.S. workers between March 4 and March 6, 2013.