Sixty-one percent (61%) of American workers say that if they leave their current job, it will be their choice, a significant drop in confidence from four years ago.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 21% say the decision will not be theirs, while 17% are not sure.

In December 2004, 80% said the choice to leave a job would be theirs, while 10% said the decision would be their employer’s.

This drop-off in confidence explains why nearly one-out-of-two working adults (49%) now are at least somewhat concerned about their job security, including 23% who are Very Concerned. Fifteen percent (15%) say they are not at all concerned.

Just 33% believe their next job will be better than the one they current have, another reflection of the difficult economy. Twenty-one percent (21%) disagree, and the plurality (46%) are not sure.

In December 2003, by comparison, 43% said their next job would be better, while 22% disagreed. A year later, 49% believed their next job would be a step up, and only 15% felt otherwise.

Last month the U.S. unemployment rate hit 7.2 percent. Just today Boeing Co. announced it will cut an additional 10,000 jobs. This comes after Home Depot, Caterpillar, Sprint Nextel and at least eight other companies announced on Monday they would cut over 75,000 jobs here and around the globe.

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The Rasmussen Employment Index, a monthly measure of U.S. worker confidence in the employment market, fell to a record low for the third month in a row in December. Just 14% of workers report that their companies are hiring while 27% report lay-offs are coming at their workplace. Both figures are the bleakest ever recorded in the Index’s five-year history.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of whites say they will leave their current job by choice, compared to 46% of African-Americans. Those working Americans earning more than $100,000 per years are most confident of this (73%), while those who make under $20,000 annually are the least confident (47%).

Twenty-seven percent (27%) of men are Very Concerned about their job security, compared to 18% of women. Nineteen percent (19%) of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 24% of unaffiliated workers share that concern.

Workers under the age of 30 by two-to-one are Very Concerned about their job security versus those ages 30-65. While the level of concern is highest among those who earn the least, Other than the lowest-paid workers, workers in the middle-income level - $60,000 to $100,000 annually – are not far behind.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of men and just 28% of women think their next job will be better than the one they have now. This belief declines as the age of the worker rises, with only 18% of working Americans ages 50-64 who say it’s true.

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