The FINANCIAL -- Twenty-six percent (26%) of American workers now say their employers are laying people off. That’s down from 28% a month ago and 30% two months ago. It’s the lowest number reporting layoffs since last November.

The data from the Rasmussen Employment Index shows that the number who say their firms are hiring remains steady for the seventh straight month at 15%.

Overall, the Employment Index gained two points to 65.6. That’s the second straight monthly gain, but the Index is down three points since June and 23 points since last September. Typically, a gain in the Employment Index is a leading indicator suggesting that the job creation report will be better than the preceding month.

There are still plenty of concerns in the data, however. Thirty percent (30%) of workers are worried about losing their job in the next few months. That figure has been fairly stable over the past couple of months, but it’s up 10 points from a year ago.

Thirty-five percent (35%) of workers rate their own personal finances as good or excellent. That’s down a point from a month ago and down eight from a year ago.

Twenty-five percent (25%) say their finances are getting better. That’s up two points from a month ago, but down four from this time last year.

Forty-four percent (44%) now say their finances are getting worse. But that’s a three-point improvement from last month and a four-point improvement over the past year.

The Rasmussen Employment Index, established in 2003, is compiled monthly from telephone interviews with approximately 9,000 U.S. workers.

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