Workers Acknowledge Economic Recovery But Still Worry A Lot

(From Forbes) -- Just because the National Bureau of Economic Research formally declared last week that the Great Recession ended a year ago doesn't mean those with jobs are about to start spending again.

A summary of the periodic Mercer Workplace Survey, out today, says that while still-employed employees are optimistic about the direction of the overall economy, they are a lot less happy about their own individual situations. Mercer, a consulting firm owned by Marsh & McLennan, said the disconnect in attitudes toward the big and and small picture was the first detected in eight years of polling.

According to a Mercer press release, 77% of the 1,500 workers polled expect the economy to grow, roughly the reading before the recession began in 2007 but more than the 56% rating recorded in 2008. And the number of those expecting the economy to sink has dropped by almost half to 23%.

But that doesn't square with the workers' own evaluation of their situation. More than one-third - 36% to be exact - reported they are still concerned about losing their job in the next year, compared with 27% in 2007.

From a spending perspective, the most worrisome development was the growing perception - likely due to erosion of asset values - that workers hadn't saved enough for retirement. The implication is that they might cut back now to do so. According to Mercer, there was a one-third jump in the number of workers reporting that inadequate retirement savings kept them "awake at night." A similar percentage jump was recorded for those saying their greatest financial fear was inability to fund long-term care for themselves or their spouse.

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