Commissioned by The Mergis Group and conducted online by Harris Interactive among 231 workers employed in accounting or finance, the survey reveals that more finance and accounting workers are confident about the strength of the economy and in the availability of jobs, while nearly half (49%) are confident in their ability to find a new job, despite the current job market remaining highly competitive.

Q1 2012 Survey Highlights:

Fewer Finance and Accounting Workers Believe the Economy is Weakening

-- 21% of employees believe the economy is getting weaker, a decline of 23 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2011.

More Finance and Accounting Workers Believe More Jobs are Available

-- 21% of finance and accounting employees believe that job availability has increased, representing a seven percentage point increase from the previous quarter.

Half of Workers are Confident in Their Ability to Find New Jobs Within the Next Year

-- 49% of workers are optimistic in their ability to find a new job, versus 40% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Nearly One in Three Workers Likely to Look for New Jobs

-- 31% of accounting and finance workers are likely to look for new opportunities within the next 12 months.

"We are pleased to see that accounting and finance workers are showing growing optimism in the overall economic landscape and job availability within their industry, and the consistent rise over the past three quarters is certainly encouraging," said Steve McMahan, executive vice president of Randstad US, Professionals.

"The profession has posted sizeable gains, and one of the hottest job titles in the industry right now is a financial analyst - which is expected to grow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020. We believe 2012 will usher in a great deal of opportunity for the accounting and finance profession overall, including those with compliance, analysis, tax and forensic expertise.

Our clients also have increasing needs for mortgage banking candidates due to a steady flow of foreclosures moving in the market paired with historically low interest rates. Likewise, the need for professionals that possess both the necessary certifications and degrees, coupled with strategic management capabilities and technological savvy is also rising."

The Finance and Accounting Confidence Index supplies insights into employee attitudes and sentiment around the economy, job market, job security, employers and in their ability to find a new job. Together with other economic indicators, employers can use this report to assess the overall health of the F&A industry and their workforce.