More Americans say their employers are cutting bonuses and perks or initiating hiring freezes, and slightly more workers are worried about layoffs in the next six months, according to a quarterly survey of employee sentiment. The national survey by Glassdoor.com, a Website dedicated to workplace issues, found that 17 percent of those polled are concerned that they may be laid off in the first half of the year, up 1 percentage point from the third quarter but below levels in 2009 and 2010. Those between ages 35 and 44 are more likely to worry about job cuts than either younger or older peers. Workers in the US South were more likely to express anxiety about layoffs than those in other regions. The proportion of workers who say their employers have cut or eliminated bonuses jumped to 17 percent, its highest level since the second quarter of 2010, Glassdoor said on Thursday. More employers — 15 percent, up 5 points — are also taking away perks such as commuter subsidies, or asking staff to take unpaid leave. Fewer employers have initiated large-scale hiring. More Americans, however, say their companies' prospects appear healthier. Forty percent of the more than 2,500 participants in the survey said their company's six-month outlook has improved, up from 33 percent who said so three months ago, and confidence about finding a comparable job in the event of a layoff is the highest since 2009. That could translate into stronger consumer spending in coming months, said Rusty Rueff, Glassdoor career and workplace expert, who previously ran global human resources departments at Electronic Arts and PepsiCo. “People feel better about their companies,” Rueff said. “They're feeling more comfortable they're going to keep their salary or even get a raise.”
