The Randstad Office and Administration Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among the sector's employees in the U.S., continued to rise in the third quarter, increasing almost two points to 55.9. The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive among 362 office and administrative employees. Data was collected July 9-11, August 5-7 and September 9-11, 2013, and thus does not reflect the attitudes of employees during and after the government shutdown.

In the third quarter report, more office and administrative workers believe the economy is improving, rising five percentage points to 34 percent from the second quarter of 2013. In addition, 65 percent of respondents expressed they were confident about the future health of their current employers, rising three percentage points from the previous quarter.

"Over the last few years, many accounting departments consolidated positions, leaving managers to handle the responsibilities typically covered by accounts payable and accounts receivable clerks. However, we are seeing increasing demand from our clients wanting to add support roles back into the equation," said Phyllis Finley, Executive Vice President at Randstad US. "We have also seen an increase in the need for part-time accounting support and part-time medical administration personnel because of new reporting requirements, and the upcoming implementation of the Affordable Care Act."

Q3 2013 Survey Highlights:

Office and Administrative Employee Confidence in the Strength of the Economy Rises in Q3

• More than a third (34%) of office and administrative workers believe the economy is getting stronger, rising five percentage points from the previous quarter's reading.

Consistent Percentage of Workers Believe More Jobs Are Available

• Over one-in-five (21%) office and administrative workers believe there are more jobs available, falling just one percentage point from the second quarter of 2013. Meanwhile, over four-in-10 (44%) workers believe there are fewer jobs available, falling three percentage points from the previous quarter's readings.

Administrative Workers' Confidence in Ability to Find Jobs Rises Slightly in Q3

• When asked how optimistic they are in their ability to find employment, 40 percent of administrative workers indicate that they are confident they could find a job, rising one percentage point from the second quarter of 2013.

Administrative Workers' Confidence in Their Employers' Future Rises

• A majority of administrative workers (65%) feel confident in the future of their current employer, rising three percentage points from the previous quarter.

Slightly Fewer Administrative Workers Likely to Job Search

• Dropping three percentage points from the previous quarter, 28 percent of administrative workers say they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, more than half (57%) say they are not likely to look for a job, a rise of two percentage points from the previous quarter.