So sad about redundancies

[CathyandHeathcliff]

We’re in the fortunate position so far not to have been in line for a redundancy. But I’ve just found out my close friend’s husband has. It’s really sad as they have a toddler and have only just bought their own house.
I’ve also heard today about Boots letting thousands of people go.

Will we look back on this in years to come and think lockdown was an overreaction ? Are the outcome of job losses going to be greater than the virus itself?

Yes I've lost my job as a result of this and I feel all of this has been an over reaction - thought this before I was made redundant.

It's simply horrible and I think it's only going to get worse.

Yes. I've been on furlough since March, luckily I am going back to work in August but that doesn't mean things won't change again. I think the fallout will be worse for many people than the actual virus.

It's been a huge overreaction. I know two friends who are now being made redundant. There are going to be millions of unemployed people.

IMHO it was a total over reaction
And my job is relatively safe
It amazes me the number of people O know whom I thought were smart who have totally bought into it
Feel so sorry for people who have lost their jobs and for young people generally

DH was made redundant in April, pretty much immediately. I don’t know if lockdown has been an overreaction but it is hard to understand the reasons why (it went on so long, it was to the extent it was, why things still aren’t getting back to normal). I’m fuming about the whole thing but I don’t know if it’s reasonable to be.

Sad that people think job losses are because of the lockdown, rather than the fact that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

Sad that people think job losses are because of the lockdown, rather than the fact that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

The job losses are most certainly a result of the lockdown. Lockdown is a result of the pandemic. But I don’t think anyone can confidently say there wouldn’t have been as many job losses in as many sectors if we hadn’t locked down for so long.

So, so sad. I do think that those with secure jobs (me included, NHS non frontline) need to help feed money back into the economy someway or another, to make the hit fair and help those suffering job losses.

@Babs709

Sad that people think job losses are because of the lockdown, rather than the fact that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

The job losses are most certainly a result of the lockdown. Lockdown is a result of the pandemic. But I don’t think anyone can confidently say there wouldn’t have been as many job losses in as many sectors if we hadn’t locked down for so long.

You can’t say that for sure, but you can look at many US states, who eased their lockdown in late April/early May and are now in an even worse position that before. Many businesses that have reopened have now closed again which is disaster. ‘Stay at home’ orders are about to be issued again.

Same as Israel, now in its second wave.

Unfortunately, easing lockdown early is a false economy.

Will we look back on this in years to come and think lockdown was an overreaction ? Are the outcome of job losses going to be greater than the virus itself?

Yes and yes.

I said at the very start the repercussions will be much worse than the virus itself.

Wait until October when the furlough schemes ends, they will be thousands more jobs going.

My aunt died of coronavirus. Her young carer died of coronavirus. I do not think lockdown has been an over reaction. A job is not as important as a life.

Ian sorry for your loss but in many cases a job IS life. Without enough jobs society will collapse and the deprivation, poverty, ill health will be off the scale

It's not as simple as "a job is not as important as a life." Many people were living in poverty before coronavirus and it is going to get worse. The gap between rich and poor will widen even more.

Friends met at work, yep both facing redundancy consultations, mortgage, young family.

Economies can absorb a certain number of redundancies, it's the onslaught of so many at once. Business is business yes, but it will become an employer's market, lower pay, work benefits.

I wanted to re-enter the job market this autumn but as I don't need to financially at the moment social consciously I'm not going to even try right now.

Yes I am also facing redundancy although the company wasn't in the best position before Covid this was the final nail in the coffin.
Getting another job especially 1 that also fits in with the school runs etc is going to be particularly hard

A job is not as important as a life, but lockdown has and will kill many people. Cancer deaths, mental health related deaths (closely related to economic factors), violence related deaths, and people will continue to die from the consequences for months and years to come. I don’t know if it was a price worth paying, but it certainly isn’t an easy thing. Corona costs life, lockdown costs life

The issue for me is that the already pretty high death toll would have been astronomical without lockdown.

I'm all for easing restrictions now and getting kids back to school after the summer, but what number of deaths would have been too high for those currently saying this isn't worth the economic impact?

The redundancies announced by retail outlets were coming whether or not covid had happened Fact is shopping habits have changed. The high street was already dying and retailers are using this to clear out shops and employees it didn't need in the first place and were already operating at a loss.

Boots generally has at least 2 outlets on any one high street - why? Most are propped up by government subsidies for pharmacies - when was the last time you specifically went to Boots for a product you couldn't get anywhere else?

John Lewis in Birmingham - it's huge and anytime I've been in there whole floors have been empty? Who is going to go to a city centre department store attached to a railway station where parking is going to cost you £10-15 for the day and buy a sofa or garden furniture???

The only places specifically Covid affected so far are the restaurants and airline industry related ones? And they'll come back in a year or two when things pick up again

it's true that shopping habits have been changing as have working patters but the problem we have now is that everything is happening so fast. Even back in the 70s and 80s when mining began to disappear it took several years for each pit to close and even then whole communities took decades to recover - and some have never recovered at all

I was speaking to a friend who is fairly high up at RBS and he says the lockdown has accelerated their restructuring programme by about 4 years. They have pushed through in three months the working from home stuff structural stuff which was scheduled to take 18 months and will be closing several offices in London and other key cities making many people redundant.

So yes, whilst many of these job losses would have happened, they would probably have been over several months or even years rather than all at once,

There are a lot of covid related redundancies I know of four friends, three in the charity sector one in advertising do not obvious places but charity income dried up as fundraising became more difficult (and with the closure of charity shops) and advertising has tailed off for those companies such as airlines which have less need money to advertise. The economy is interconnected and the impacts of losses will be felt across a lot of sectors due to interconnection and yes even the public sector if tax revenues dry up.

I do agree that it is sad, I am finding out about a lot of people impacted by this and there will only be more.

The redundancies announced by retail outlets were coming whether or not covid had happened Fact is shopping habits have changed. The high street was already dying and retailers are using this to clear out shops and employees it didn't need in the first place and were already operating at a loss.

Not necessarily. My dd worked for a high street chain that was doing really well...now they are making redundancies. Not to same extent as some chains but it's still affected plenty of staff including her.

My son worked at the John Lewis in Birmingham. He's lucky as he lives at home - no rent or anything

There is support for someone who has lost their job. You can't compare losing your job to death. I am aware that there have been deaths due to lockdown, but not comparable to the deaths caused by the virus. If there was no lockdown the death rate would have been astronomical. There were 128 deaths in the UK yesterday from coronavirus (this is about 25 more than the day the government announced lockdown) Why is this not concerning to people? We have become normalised to the high daily death rates. It is heartbreaking.