Fear of losing their jobs is rising among UK workers, according to the latest edition of the Global Career Confidence Index, published today by Right Management Consultants, a career transition consultancy.
The survey, an internationally recognised benchmark of job security, has found that 23% of UK employees believe that there is a chance they will be made redundant in the coming year, up 4% November 2004.
However, the UK workforce is increasingly positive about finding employment following redundancy.
Only 69% of employees currently believe that it would be difficult to find alternative work of a similar grade, down from 73% in November 2004.
In recent weeks, job losses at banking group Abbey and car manufacturer Rover have been front page news. “Often, events in the media prompt employees to reassess their own job security and their potential to bounce back from redundancy,” said Jo Bond, managing director, of RightCoutts, a subsidiary of Right Management Consultants.
“UK employers allay employee concerns by communicating with them openly and honestly about how their jobs align with ongoing business strategy.”
Across Europe, Norwegians are the most confident that they will stay in their jobs, with only 4% expressing redundancy concerns. They are also among the most secure when it comes to looking for alternative employment, with only 65% worried about their ability to bounce back after redundancy.
In contrast, 27% of Belgian workers believe that they risk redundancy in the next year, and97% of Germans are concerned about finding employment if they were to be laid-off.
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Confidence among US workers is on the up, with only 19% of workers believing that they might be laid-off, down 4% from 23% in November 2004.
However, workers in the US are slightly more concerned about their ability to find alternative employment, with 80% voicing concerns, in comparison with 79% in November.
