The survey was developed by Accountemps, a specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.  It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 573 men and women aged 18 years or older and employed in professional environments.

Survey respondents were asked, “How optimistic do you feel about the economy and job growth over the next year?”  Their responses:

The same individuals were also asked, “How optimistic do you feel about your career prospects today versus one year ago?”  Their responses:

“More and more workers see the glass as half full and are optimistic the economy will continue to recover during the year ahead,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).  “They also appear to be more confident about their own career prospects than in years past.”

The survey revealed demographic differences among respondents, such as:

• High-income professionals earning $75,000 a year or more are the most confident about the economy and job growth, survey results show.  Sixty-seven percent of those polled in this category said they are at least somewhat optimistic about the future.
  
• Sixty-four percent of men expressed optimism about job growth and the economy, compared with 53 percent of women.
  
• Workers 18 to 34 years of age were the most hopeful about their own career prospects, with 62 percent saying they are more optimistic than one year ago -- 36 percent of this group indicated they are “significantly more optimistic.”