One in four UK workers is considering a move abroad to escape the economic squeeze, according to a survey by pollsters YouGov.
The survey of more than 1,400 employees found that many were so fed up of worrying about their job prospects they would take a job elsewhere.
The economy has faltered badly in the wake of the credit crunch, with chancellor Alistair Darling last week warning conditions were the worst for 60 years.
The YouGov poll, taken last week, showed that one in three workers feared losing their job, four in 10 believed job opportunities would dwindle, and a third thought their earnings would be slashed.
As a result, 24% of employees would consider moving to work abroad, while 11% would look at relocating within the UK.
Meanwhile, 31% are considering taking a second job, and 21% are considering changing career.
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Andy Brown, managing director of organisational consulting at YouGov, said: “These results show how quickly employees are responding to the nose-diving British economy.
“Fears of job losses, stagnating wages and poor job opportunities have risen very sharply in the past few months. But in a positive response, many British workers seem prepared to ‘get on their bike’ to find work or to flex their working patterns to supplement their pay. The challenge now is for British companies to find the best ways to leverage this new flexibility”.
