According to a new survey 20% of companies indicated that they are likely to let staff go over the next year. This survey collected the views of 100 companies in Ireland ranging from multinationals to SME’s. Did we really need this survey to tell us what we already know?
Yes redundancies are coming thick and fast in Ireland. I would point out though that redundancy is a thing we will have to accept as part of the employment landscape. Employers can no longer afford to stand still and employees the same. Both need to be constantly reinventing themselves to stay ahead of the competition.
The survey goes on to indicate that there will be more competition for jobseekers and that employers have said that they are experiencing an increase in the number of CV’s sent in the first 6 months of the year. This is stating the obvious but is in fact very true. Jobseekers need to equip themselves for a competitive job market ensuring that the have impact CV’s to stand out in the crowd and effective interview skills to land the job.
The final point of the article indicated that employees should stay put and ride out the storm. I would not agree with this point so much. You see there are excellent opportunities in a downturn. Yes we read the stories about job loss but we do not read the stories about employers hiring key staff to help them through this tough period. Recession or a downturn can provide plenty of opportunities for companies and individuals if you look for them and more importantly take action. Many companies come out of a downturn in a much better position. Equally individuals can gain in these tough times.
Some years I read an interesting comment in a business book – “there is a recession but I have decided not to take part.” This comment is worth some thought.
