86% feel secure about jobs

MORE than eight in 10 Irish workers believe it’s almost impossible they could lose their jobs in the next year, according to a survey published yesterday.

The latest career confidence index research released by Manpower Ireland revealed 85.7 % of Irish workers believe it is ‘not very or not at all possible’ they will be laid off from their job during the next 12 months.

Just 13.5 % of respondents said it was ‘very or somewhat possible’ they would be laid off, down from 20.6% in May 2006.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of those polled thought it would be difficult for an average worker who was laid off to find a similar job at the same pay level.

Manpower managing director Jason Kennedy said the research shows the Irish labour market is very healthy.

“While the recent news that some companies are planning to implement redundancies in the coming months may give some cause for concern, the majority of Irish workers still feel their job is not in danger.”

In 15 of the 18 countries surveyed, employees reported feeling more confident about their jobs and local job markets than they were six months ago.

Norwegian workers are the most confident in the world, with only 3.8 % believing they could lose their jobs in the coming year.

Britain had the lowest career confidence index figure of any of the 18 countries surveyed, at 45.3, a steep decline of 6.9 points from an index reading of 52.2 last May.