A thread for people who've lost their jobs due to COVID

[QuentinInQuarantino]

I can't be the only one?

I'm self employed (not in the uk so no give help) and my income stopped dramatically in march when everything locked down.

Now things are slowly returning but due to the type of job I do clients are reluctant to work with me. I did manage to get a mortgage holiday but it's coming to an end.

I'm finding it hard being around people who've been happily working on full pay from home, or furloughed! Anyone else in this boat?

Bumping for you OP. Sorry to hear about your situation.

Thank you! Maybe Mumsnet tres have bee lucky! The guardian had this list today:

The list of the 185,143 jobs that have been lost since the pandemic began was so heartbreakingly long that I’ve only kept in job losses over 2,000. But it’s thought-provoking enough, even in this shortened format:

August 27 - Pret a Manger - 2,800 (includes 1,000 announced on July 6)
August 18 - Marks & Spencer - 7,000
August 11 - Debenhams - 2,500
July 9 - Boots - 4,000
July 1 - SSP (owns Upper Crust) - 5,000 at risk
June 25 - Royal Mail - 2,000
June 24 - Swissport - 4,556
June 17 - HSBC - unknown number of jobs in UK, 35,000 worldwide
June 15 - Travis Perkins - 2,500
June 11 - Johnson Matthey - 2,500
June 11 - Centrica - 5,000
June 10 - The Restaurant Group (owns Frankie and Benny’s) - 3,000
June 8 - BP - 10,000 worldwide
May 28 - EasyJet - 4,500 worldwide
May 20 - Rolls-Royce - 9,000
May 19 - Ovo Energy - 2,600
May 13 - Tui - 8,000 worldwide
May 5 - Virgin Atlantic - 3,150
May 1 - Ryanair - 3,000 worldwide
April 28 - British Airways - 12,000

My secondment was brought to an abrupt end only two weeks into lockdown. No furlough offered. Really struggling to find another.

Sorry to here that @BibiThree the suddenness of it all was awful wasn't it. We'd just bought our first home and stretched ourselves but thought we'd be able to save a buffer again over the coming years. Then BAM.

My husband was one of those on your list. He's managed to get a minimum wage job now after applying for over 100 jobs without even getting an interview. Before this we had just got to a position where we could live comfortably for the first time since we had children then this. We can just about afford the mortgage and bills now - food and everything else has to come out of the redundancy package which isn't going to last forever. It's depressing. We don't qualify for any help because of the redundancy package

The Royal Mail has shed jobs?! Was that in the pipeline pre-Covid?

Really sorry to hear about your situation, OP. Should have said that first.

Very sorry OP - I know how you feel, I was due to start a new job in March after being made redundant on maternity leave and the job offer was pulled. Spent until August desperately trying to find a job- I’ve finally started working this month and things are looking up. I know it’s stressful and feels hopeless but I’m sure something will come up for you. You must try and keep positive, I know it’s not easy!

I've lost my perfect job which fit in with school hours and was friendly and just lovely. Gutted. And skint.

So sorry you have lost your job OP. I feel like here in the U.K, the world is so divided!! I know people who have lost jobs, lost everything, and others who have seen business boom and are snapping up cheap brand new cars, bigger houses so stamp duty etc. It seems so unfair!!

No stamp duty*

Really sorry to hear your situation @QuentinInQuarantino.

My DH was made redundant near the beginning of lockdown.. A previously strong position, no job worries, small company been around for 30 years. All made redundant overnight. I'm a SAHM, we relied solely on him being a high earner. It's been a very stressful few months but, after many, many hours networking /keeping up to date/writing articles on LinkedIn, he was headhunted for a similar role in another company. That started last week and we are finally starting to panic a little less.

I feel so bad for you and other PPs in the same situation. Watching neighbours gloating how much they've saved during lockdown has been a hard pill to chew, I agree. I think some people are sleep walking into the economic nightmare that's on the way, thinking they are immune to it in their 'safe' jobs.

We have been so lucky that my DH has managed to secure another well paid role in this climate, I really hope you find something soon xx

Hsbc managers have been issued redundancy today, I am one of them

Anyone losing their employment* is tragic. But it's too simplistic to say that covid is responsible, or the only cause. You list, for example jobs lost at Rolls Royce. Every one of those jobs, and more, were put at risk before Covid - actually furlough delayed them being lost. Rolls Royce said that Brexit was the reason - to it's employees and last February! Devastating though covid has been, and definitely a contributor in some areas, world and national economies area much more complex than you suggest. And much more pliable.

• with the possible exception of Boris Johnson.

I’ve lost mine too. Have had to apply for universal credit. I was self employed and doing so well but holiday homes closed overnight and that was it. Gone.

Made redundant in December. Decent payout though. Just spending my day chilling and volunteering at the vaccination centre. Met lots of lovely elderly people and for many of them it's the first time they have been outside for 10 months!

Name changed for this.

I will be closing my small company at the end of this week. We have been going since 2002 and there was no sign that we couldn't continue before COVID. We will close because too many of our clients are not approving any new budgets until it's clearer what the future holds.

I will have to tell ten staff members that they no longer have a job and I am utterly devastated about it. I could just about keep going for another couple of months but then there would be nothing to help them out with. This way they'll get four months of pay.

We could not furlough as if the work wasn't done we'd have gone out of business months ago.

The one biggest thing the government could have done would be to force big companies to pay their bloody invoices. We are owed tens of thousands of pounds by companies that you have all heard of and which are upto twelve months overdue.

Sorry for the rant, but I am at the end of my tether. Best wishes to anyone who has lost their job.

My sister lost hers a couple of months back. She had worked 15 years at the airport. She loved it. As a single parent she was on a flexible working contract and following months on furlough was made redundant. She is now on universal credit. Has a 5 year old and cannot find another job that she can manage now school is closed as is not a critical worker and has no childcare help. She is on her knees, completed devastated.

I lost mine last May, thankfully I got another one. But it’s awful and so unfair hugs to all

Mine was 100% because of Covid

I worked two part time jobs but lost one of them. It was a direct result of Covid / lockdowns. I loved the job too. Tough times.

I was made redundant in October (oil and gas industry) , had a little bit of redundancy money to see me through until now, don’t know how I’m paying next months bills. Could honestly give up. I just feel drained with it all.

Redundant in November . Was furloughed before that from April and then redundancy consolation started so I knew it was coming. Still hit me like a brick when it did. Hundreds gone across the company. I retrained as a nail technition from an office role thinking that would bring in a little money and could be done anywhere... jokes on me there . Now on UC frantically applying for everything . Got turned down for a cleaning job due to no experience today so only way is up really

So sad reading all these posts. Hope you all find something else soon.

Me too
I left a job after 15 years to work in a new to me industry , was in the new job 4 weeks then BAM COVID, then furlough then redundancy in Aug last year, still not working 😢 I’m lucky in the respect my husband still works but god it’s killed my self esteem and drive for life, kind of get the feeling now I’m in my fifties I’m on the scrap heap