More than four million people in the UK currently harbour worries over job security, amid concerns over the impact of impending cuts in public spending.
According to a poll from trade body R3 published this week, the number of people concerned about redundancy has increased by half over the last 12 months, with 16 per cent of participants aged between 25 and 34 fearing the sack.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said R3 president Steven Law. “It is alarming that many believe that their jobs may be under threat and this fear may indicate that many believe the worst is yet to come.”
He added that younger workers may be most at risk of finding themselves out of a job in the near future as they are often less experienced and therefore more dispensable.
A survey carried out by Group Risk Development recently discovered that employers also have some trepidation about their ability to hire former long-term benefits claimants when welfare reforms come into effect.
By Hayley Edwards