Redundancy rates set to remain high, says CIPD

Posted 05/07/2009

Redundancy rates in the UK are expected to remain high during the second half of the year, according to analysts.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) stated that between April and June 2009, 18 per cent of HR professionals sought advice on laying off members of staff.

This is up from 12 per cent during the second quarter of 2008, prompting the organisation to suggest that job security will remain uncertain throughout the rest of the year.

However, it noted the figure for Q2 is one per cent down on the figure recorded in Q1.

As a result, it is cautiously optimistic that the situation may be slightly better by the end of the year.

Dr John Philpott, chief economist at the CIPD, said: “We remain hopeful that the first quarter will prove to have been the worst for redundancies in this recession.”

According to official figures, unemployment in the UK has now passed the 2.25 million mark.