A recent survey of 1,225 adults shows that they're growing more confident in the economy, job security and job market. The job market showed signs of improvement Friday with the Labor Department’s announcement that the economy added 162,000 jobs in March. Even before that report came out, employed and unemployed professionals’ outlook on the job market appeared to be brightening, according to a survey of 1,225 adults conducted by online career community Glassdoor.com.Nearly 40 percent of employees polled by Glassdoor.com, including those who are self-employed, believe that if they lost their job tomorrow, they’d be able to find a new one matched to their experience and desired compensation levels within six months. (Less than one-third—30 percent—think finding a suitable job in six months is a pipe dream.) Workers’ confidence in their employers’ business outlooks is also on the rise. Even though employers continued to announce job cuts in March, fewer employees are concerned about layoffs, according to Glassdoor.com’s data: 18 percent are worried they might be laid off in the next six months—down from 26 percent in the first quarter of 2009. And 90 percent of polled employees believe their company’s financial situation will improve (or at least not get any worse) over the next six months. Unfortunately, employees are not as optimistic about their compensation. Four out of 10 (42 percent) believe their salaries will remain the same over the next 12 months. Slightly more than one-third of employees (36 percent) expect a raise in the coming year. However, if the economy returns to pre-recession levels, 57 percent of employees say they’ll expect a raise, bonus or promotion, and one in five will look for a new job. How does your experience with the economy and job market compare with Glassdoor.com’s survey results? Unemployment remains at 9.7 percent, and job growth isn’t expected to significantly accelerate any time soon, according to economists at The Conference Board. I’ve talked to many IT professionals who’ve been out of work for a year or more. Are you optimistic that you could find a job in six months? Are you less concerned about layoffs? Related content opinion Career Advice: Parting Words By Meridith Levinson Apr 11, 2012 2 mins Careers opinion IT Salaries: 10 Cities Where IT Professionals Earn the Most IT staffing firm CyberCoders recently released its ranking of the 10 cities where IT salaries are highest. CIO.com compares this latest salary data with IT salary surveys from other sources. By Meridith Levinson Apr 03, 2012 3 mins Salaries IT Jobs Careers opinion How Project Managers Can Negotiate Higher Salaries The Project Management Institute's latest salary survey is chockfull of specific, reliable data that project managers can use to negotiate higher salaries. Here's an example of how they might use the data in their own salary negotiations. By Meridith Levinson Mar 21, 2012 3 mins Salaries Project Management Tools Careers opinion Why IT Managers Need to Address Skills Shortages in Their Organizations IT managers know that skills shortages in their organizations negatively impact business operations, yet—due to budget and time constraints—they do little to address IT skills gaps. Is there any way to fix this problem? By Meridith Levinson Mar 16, 2012 3 mins IT Skills Careers IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe