In 2004, the Heldrich Center conducted a national survey of American workers and employers to identify the extent to which workers and employers were continuing to be affected by economic issues and business restructuring during the post-9/11 recession. The survey showed that, despite signs of economic recovery and modest job growth in 2004, American workers continued to be more pessimistic about the economy and their own job security than they were in a 2003 Work Trends survey. The survey also found that during that same time, one in four of the nation’s employers laid-off workers but expressed a far different perception of the layoff experience than their workers. As a result, the survey showed that work confidence in the American economy plunged to levels well below those measured in the spring of 2000, the peak of the economic expansion, and both workers and employers expressed high levels of dissatisfaction with the way the federal government was handling issues related to jobs.

The survey was conducted in partnership with the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut.