One in three UK employers expect to make staff redundant between July and September, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and recruiter Adecco. The figure represents a 50% jump compared to three months ago.
In the private sector, 38% of firms plan to cut jobs, compared to 16% in the public sector. While 49% of employers said they planned to hire in the next three months, up from 40% in the previous quarter, hiring confidence remains well below levels seen in previous years.
The survey of over 2,000 employers, conducted up to 9 July, indicates the proportion of firms planning to hire relative to those expecting redundancies has fallen to its lowest level since 2013. Gerwyn Davies, an advisor at the CIPD, predicted a 'sombre autumn for jobs', warning that redundancies are likely to rise once the Job Retention Scheme closes.
William Bird, 27, was made redundant from his role as an assistant producer at a London events agency after four years. He said his company 'didn't have the financial backing to keep me on' due to a lack of work. Bird, whose mother passed away during lockdown, now faces moving out of his flat as he searches for work.
Data from the Centre for Retail Research indicates more than 22,000 restaurant jobs have been cut so far this year, more than double the total for 2019. Pizza Express, Byron, and the Casual Dining Group are among those announcing significant job losses. In June, 1,778 firms notified the government of plans to cut over 139,000 jobs, five times the number in the same month last year.
