American employees' confidence in the workplace was restored after a decline following the government shutdown in October, according to the Randstad Employee Index. The monthly tracker - which measures outlook on jobs, the economy, and careers prospects - rose three points during November to 54.5. The Randstad study was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad and included 977 employed U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

Employees also reported higher levels of confidence in the economy and job market. The number of workers indicating the strength of the economy has improved increased by eight percentage points in November.

The government shutdown had a minimal impact on the job market," said Jim Link, Chief HR Officer, Randstad North America.  "Despite the recent macroeconomic events, we remain encouraged by high levels of worker confidence when it comes to their outlook on the strength of the economy and availability of jobs."

Link added, "More encouraging is the better than expected surge in retail sales posted in October. Economists are predicting retail hiring to potentially surpass last year's figures—which would be a nice boost in the road to economic recovery."

Randstad, the second largest staffing and HR services firm in the world, has been tracking workforce trends and publishing the U.S. Employee Confidence Index since 2004.