The Spherion Corp. (NYSE: SFN) employee confidence index level of 49.1 was unchanged in December from November.

"Our latest report mirrors what we are hearing from both candidates and customers -- many are at a standstill, waiting until job loss flattens out in anticipation of the ultimate upturn," Spherion CEO Roy Krause said. "That being said, we are seeing some encouraging signs that suggest a turnaround is near. One clear signal is a rise in the number of temporary workers, which has steadily increased since August 2009."

Twenty-four percent of U.S. workers believed the economy is getting stronger in December, up one percentage point from November, according to the index's survey. However, 68% of workers believe there are fewer jobs available -- unchanged from the previous month.

The number of workers confident in their ability to find a new job in December fell one percentage point from November to 38%.

The index's survey questioned 2,727 employed adults in the U.S.