New Year, Same Job

The annual January jobs rush is off this year - as employees abandon the traditional New Years resolution to get a new job, and instead sit tight, work harder and pray they're not made redundant.

This week is traditionally the start of the Great Escape, when thousands of workers start trawling the market place for better jobs and bigger salaries.

But the current global financial meltdown has sparked a 'New Year, same job' mentality with one in three people admitting that they would have been looking for a new job if the country wasn't in the midst of a recession.

But now, 80 per cent of the 2,000 workers polled considered themselves lucky to have a stable job at the moment.

Half also said they couldn't see themselves looking for a new job for the foreseeable future and 86 per cent said they believed competition for jobs that do exist is fiercer than ever.

The study, carried out by NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, also revealed that half of employees will now work harder to do better in their current job amid the uncertainty which lies ahead.

Jonathan Kestenbaum, NESTA's Chief Executive said: ''Employees have decided that where they can, they are going to sit tight, work harder and try to ride out the recession."

However, employees recognize that they need a Plan B. As such over 50 per cent of workers would now be prepared to pay for their own training to secure employment, and 80 per cent would consider transferring their existing skills to more buoyant sectors of the economy.

Jonathan Kestenbaum continued: '"Amidst all the doom, there are actually growth sectors of the economy which require new skills and talent - including, digital industries and low carbon technologies".

"It is testament to the flexibility of UK employees that they are prepared to learn new skills to remain in employment".

The poll revealed that in usual circumstances, the New Year would usually be a time to make life changing decisions for 55 per cent of folk.

But 68 per cent of those surveyed, with dependents, feel that in light of the economic downturn, they have absolutely no choice but to weather the storm and stick with their jobs for the sake of themselves and their loved ones.

This means, that four in 10 people are settling for second best, remaining in jobs which they don't enjoy.

Half of Britain's employees have resigned themselves to working their way up within the same company, striving for any available promotions and pay rises.

But the year 2009 will be a worrying time for employees - 31 per cent have experienced redundancies within their company already, and 38 per cent are seriously worried about losing their job in the next 12 months.