The consumer confidence index rose to 95.4 in May from a revised 94.3 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.
The April index was originally reported as 95.2.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a 95.0 reading for the index.
The present situation index climbed to 108.1 from a revised 105.1, first reported as 106.8, while the expectations index slid to 86.9 from a revised 87.1, first reported as 87.5.
"Consumer confidence improved modestly in May, after declining sharply in April," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. "After a three-month slide, the Present Situation Index increased, propelled by a more positive assessment of the labor market. Expectations, however, were relatively flat following a steep decline in April. While current conditions in the second quarter appear to be improving, consumers still remain cautious about the short-term outlook."
Business conditions were called "good" by 25.2% of respondents in May, down from 25.5% in April. Those saying conditions are "bad" fell to 17.4% from 19.2%.
The percentage of consumers expecting a pickup in business conditions in the next half year gained to 15.6% from 15.4%, while 10.8% said they expect conditions to worsen, up from 9.1% in the prior month.
On the jobs front, those who believe jobs are "plentiful" gained to 20.7% in May from 19.0% in April, while the number saying jobs are "hard to get" rose to 27.3% from 25.9%. The respondents who see fewer jobs becoming available in a half year, decreased to 15.5% from 16.4%. Those expecting more jobs to become available rose to 14.6% from 13.8%, The Conference Board reported.
The consumer confidence survey is based on a probability design random sample by the Nielsen Company.
