Fifty seven per cent of the UK workforce fear for their jobs next year, according to a Learning & Skills Council (LSC) survey.
Respondents were asked whether the current economic crisis had made them more worried about keeping their jobs, and 57% said yes. Some 51% of those polled said they would focus on training and acquiring more skills to boost their career prospects and job security.
The skills that respondents felt they needed most were IT and literacy (each mentioned by 32%) problem solving (26%) self-management skills (22%) and customer awareness (19.75%).
LSC chairman Chris Banks said: “A small investment in learning new skills will make people better prepared to tackle any eventuality, particularly in a tough economy.”
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Respondents were also asked what job they would like. Travel writer topped this wish list with 17.05% of those polled choosing it, followed by zoo keeper (13.85%) school teacher (13.65%) taste tester (11.6%) test driver (8.75%) garden designer (8.6%) costume designer (7.45%) florist (7.45%) and scuba diving instructor (4.45%).
The survey polled 2,000 adults across the UK. It was conducted for the LSC by pollster OnePoll via an e-mail questionnaire at the end of November.
