AIBU to think redundancy crisis is not getting enough media coverage?

They may have been contributing but it's way more than that. What we use, what we spend money on, how we shop, how industries are working, AI, it's all been changing for a long time.

I think many of us who were in an industry that's either fallen because of lack of use (restaurants, shops etc), or taken over by AI are going to be working in the care sector or building type thing just to keep bills paid. It's about the only sector that's still struggling to recruit as far as I know.

Things have been changing for a long time, it's just speeding up now. Even my own industry (newspapers) was cut back severely some 15-20 years back, esp photographers. Local paper photographers all went, most of the in-house national photographers went, using the occasional freelance but mainly relying on journo's taking phone snaps and similar for major newspapers. Journo's left to do the job other than major, important things when they'd send a freelance snapper too.

Pretty sure that’s not why 54 year old software engineers are being made redundant

Blame NI and NMW/LLW increases. They have sent businesses under.

I’d also like to know what engineering sector has shortages so I can steer dc in that direction.

Plenty of jobs available in agriculture, ag engineering and associated services. You can name your price as a specialist electrician, pump repair person or septic tank service person.

There are adverse changes, but not as large as people seem to be thinking (so far).

Estimates for payrolled employees in the UK fell by 85,000 (0.3%) between May 2025 and May 2026. However, it was largely unchanged on the month, increasing by 3,000 (0.0%) between April and May 2026. This is based on administrative data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Job vacancies
Number of job vacancies
Quarterly change: ▼-7,000
Annual change: ▼ -18,000

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/july2026

Yes! We are desperate for staff in engineering but nobody is qualified or has relevant experience, very few applications, even for apprenticeships. Its well paid, its a growing sector, its skilled work. But tumbleweed from adverts.

Educations has been so focused on university and office based jobs that nobody has any practical skills.

Retirement age is 67. No state pension till then. Why would they stop work?

100% agree with @Brindlekindle

Up to 40,000 jobs are reported to are be going across the Civil Service (and it's various sub-bodies) over the next year. This includes core departments such as FCDO, MOD and Home Office. Some departments its over 50%, in others it's lower at only 25%.

I have friends in the private sector who are facing similar challenges; mergers where their 'department' is no longer needed, cutting back on areas that aren't making money etc, replacing people with AI.

It's all 'okay' when you look at it in isolation. Perhaps it is really the useless ones being sacked. Perhaps the jobs weren't needed. But when you start looking at the jobs market, and see just how bad it is...yeah, it's pretty worrying because where are all these people going to go to get jobs? It's not only 'older' workers being laid off, but younger ones as well or university graduates not getting jobs to start with.

I've never had as many applicants, from incredibly over-qualified candidates, for jobs as I have the last few months. It's absolutely bananas.

Nobody gave two hoots about the fact that the unemployment rate was over 25% on the north east during maggies reign.

no one cared in the 90s when people lost their homes as well as their jobs

I’ve been round this loop before and no one ever care

Then we need to recruit engineers or whatever and grant them visas, but we seem to be letting in any old bod. We don't need to bring in any more Turkish barbers or vape shop owners.

I agree op. Dh was made redundant before last Easter (software design). They got rid of the whole department. He’s spent the last 16 months applying for any job that could use his transferable skills and got nowhere. He said that most jobs on linked in don’t exist. It’s depressingly shit when you’re job hunting and the jobs aren’t there!

I'm definitely in a redundancy crisis, my very own personal disaster. Lost my job to redundancy last month, I have enough money till end of September. I'm 64. I can't find anything to apply for that would cover rent and bills. I'm not that fit, I am a carer and was previously entirely home based.

The "just take anything brigade" are very strong - I did hear of a job for 18 hours a week which wouldn't even cover my rent let alone anything else and required an additional unpaid 18 hours travel to undertake the work. Apparently I was mad not to apply ...

One of my old employers needs to shed 500 employees, I have friends that still work there. A friend thinks she will also be made redundant in a year or two but she recently had to tell 60 people they were losing their jobs. DS GF graduate scheme was cancelled as this national company is now not taking on new graduates. Friends DD about to graduate as a nurse has no job.

DH has 5 friends who have accepted voluntary redundancy, all post 55 all well paid so they all took early retirement.

In my experience (public sector) there's a restructure or redundancy and then the work just gets redistributed around the lucky souls who have managed to hang onto their jobs. Brief pause, then it starts again.

Edited to say I don't think it's not a new thing. I feel like it's being happening for the whole of my career.

You don't need to hear it - it's what employers do. The employee doesn't have to be "troublesome" as such - it can be as simple as face doesn't fit (anymore) or that they did something that the employer blames them for, even though it wasn't necessarily their fault. Employer waits for next redundancy round to get rid.

But if sectors such as engineering need people, it's about time they started training them. Who do they expect to do it for them?

Well apparently engineers are needed after all.

And we still keep getting told we need lots of immigration of people to bolster the workforce.

I’d worry the unfair dismissal claim would impact his chance of landing another job. Not at all saying he’s wrong, I’m sure it’s very justified, but word gets around in most industries.

And yet the government keeps encouraging older people to carry on working!

They keep saying that there is going to be a shortage of labour, but I can't see that happening with AI.

There is a huge crisis in the university sector with 1000s of jobs being lost. The hostile environment for international students is contributing a huge amount to this. It's hard to fathom how little is being done, particularly in communities where universities are really significant employers.

Which parts of the civil service do you think should be slimmed down? Genuine question.

https://www.fairplaytalks.com/2026/03/25/uk-redundancies-surge-as-early-2026-data-signals-another-record-year-for-job-losses/