Workers fear for jobs

More than one in 10 UK workers are worried they will not still be in their job in 12 months time, according to a poll commissioned by union body the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The survey, carried out by YouGov, found employees in Wales and Scotland to be least confident about their chances of retaining their job in the next year.

Workers in the East of England were found to be the most optimistic, followed by staff in London, Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

The results mean that on a national scale 13%, or 3.3m, fear for the safety of their jobs as a result of widespread economic uncertainty.

Workers in medium sized businesses are the least confident with 18% of staff in firms with 50 to 249 workers saying they are not confident of being in their jobs in a year, compared to 12% in large enterprises.

The TUC’s general secretary Brendan Barber said the unstable economic climate was engendering a culture of fear among UK employees.

“These poll findings show just how many people are getting worried about losing their job in the current economic slowdown,” Barber said.

“Of course this does not mean that unemployment will rise by anything like 3m, but it does show just how jittery people have become about the economy and their own job.”

Barber called for the government and economic policy makers to “put growth first by doing all they can to restore confidence and boost investment.”

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