For the second consecutive month, the Randstad Employee Confidence Index moved up to 53.9 from 53.5 in March; however, confidence in the job market slightly dropped.

"This month we saw an interesting, though not too surprising, contrast in workers' feelings around the broader economy and their own individual confidence levels," says Jim Link, managing director of human resources for Randstad U.S. "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. Even so, it is important to note the heightened personal confidence reported.

"Our Personal Confidence Index, which measures optimism in workers' ability to find employment and in the health of their employers, rose by nearly four points — making it the largest gain in two years — which is very encouraging. In the midst of economic unease, U.S. workers are clearly feeling good about job security, the health of their employers as well as their ability to find alternative employment if necessary — which could have very costly implications for organizations if this percentage of the work force took action. With more sustained stock market and housing price gains as well as continued job creation, we expect personal confidence to continue to strengthen over the next several months."