Job confidence appears to be growing amidst other signs of short-term optimism about the U.S. economy.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Americans now say if they leave their current job, it will be their own choice, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. That’s up eight points from the first of the year.

Thirteen percent (13%) of all adults say the decision will not be theirs if they leave their current employer, and 17% are not sure.

Just 22% say they are now looking for a job outside their current company, but 73% are not.

Forty-one percent (41%) believe their next job will be better than the one they currently have, also up eight points from January. Eighteen percent (18%) say the next job will not be better, while 21% hope to retire from their current company. Nineteen percent (19%) are unsure.

Sixty percent (60%) of adults say they have been working for the same company for five years or more, a figure that includes more than 70% of those over 40.

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Seventy-five percent (75%) of government workers say they will make the decision when to change jobs, compared to 64% of those who work for private companies.

Twenty-six percent (26%) of men and 17% of women are looking for new jobs. Not surprisingly, those ages 18 to 39 are more likely to be looking than their elders, but nearly one-out-of-five (19%) of those ages 50 to 64 say they are seeking new employment.

Forty-five percent (45%) of men and 37% of women believe their next job will be better than the one they have now. Younger adults are far more likely to agree than those 40 and older.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of adults now say it is possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job. That’s up from 45% a month ago but still down from 52% in January.

The Rasmussen Employment Index inched up slightly during the month of March after five months of decline but still remains near record lows. Twenty-nine percent (29%) now are worried about losing their jobs.

Short-term expectations for the economy to improve have risen dramatically, but longer-term expectations have gone the other way.

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