Everybody is at risk in this recession

THE economic crisis has pushed fears of redundancy to the forefront of every employee's mind this week.

As the Government announced the jobless total had leapt by at least 164,000 to 1.79 million in the past three months, we spoke to six workers who have recently been made redundant. Some have decided to travel, some to retrain and others have started their own business.

But there are those who have had no alternative but to claim benefits.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said: "There can be no assumption that the people who are losing their jobs will find it easy to get new ones. They will need all the help they can get."

Today, a survey by recruitment company Monster found that hiring has particularly tailed off in the banking, finance and insurance sectors. But it added that everybody is at risk "as the financial and housing industries continue to drag down the UK economy".

THE NANNY

Deniz Akgul, 35

Job situation: A single mother of two boys, she has been looking for a new position for a year since the agency she worked for streamlined staff. The family live in a small flat in Hampstead.

Redundancy fall-out: "As a single parent I have worked very hard to provide for my family and make sure my children have everything they need. Losing my job was heartbreaking. I am currently on income support of £140 a week which is barely enough to get by. I am finding it really hard to survive. My son's birthday is coming up and Christmas is round the corner and I haven't a clue what to do."

The future: "I have been searching for a position for so long and every day I am online sending off applications. I have applied for thousands of jobs. Every day there is more news of the crisis and every day I feel more and more despairing."

THE CHAUFFEUR

Eduardo Fenick, 50

Job situation: Made redundant last month and has been looking for a job ever since but is having no luck. Lives with partner Carmen, a hotel chambermaid, in a rented house in Kennington. They have two children at university.

Redundancy fall-out: "I was told I was being made redundant last month. It was a horrible day. I just have to thank God I don't have a mortgage."

The future: "At the moment we are getting by on Carmen's wage. We can hang on a few more months like this but after that I will panic. Hopefully things will start to go back to normal next year. These are dark times for a lot of people."

THE HAIRDRESSER

Emma Foley, 30

Job situation: Worked as a senior stylist and manager at Sessions Hairdressers, Islington, for three years but was made redundant in January. Has since registered as self-employed. Lives with husband Leon, an engineer, and nine-month-old son Oliver in Islington.

Redundancy fall-out: "Redundancy is a shock but I knew it was an inevitability. The salon was starting to feel the effects of the downturn. Our customers were starting to penny pinch so instead of visiting us every six weeks for a trim, they were leaving it eight weeks or 10. I registered myself as self-employed and decided to become a mobile hairdresser. It is always a risky move to work for yourself, especially at a time when the economy is bad but so far it is paying dividends. I have no overheads and I can choose which hours I work."

The future: "I built up a list of loyal customers from working at the salon and when it shut I was able to take a lot of them with me. Luckily for me, hairdressing is a business where you have options and one of these is working for yourself."

THE MORTGAGE ADVISOR

Nicholas Harrison, 27

Job situation: Mortgage adviser for Your Move estate agent for three years but made redundant in July. Now he has started a teacher training course. Lives with fiancée Debbie Dobson, 28 and their one-year-old daughter Erin in Gillingham, Kent.

Redundancy fall-out: "I knew estate agencies in general were doing really badly. We hadn't made a sale in six weeks. I was told my job had been made redundant on 1 July. It is always upsetting to lose your job but to be brutally honest it wasn't a career I was enjoying and I wasn't any good at it. I own a rental property but within a week of losing my job I also found out my tenant was moving out. I had no job, no money, two mortgages to pay and a fiancée and a baby to look after.

The future: "Our families have helped us out financially and, now I'm doing the teacher training course, I feel a lot more positive. Hopefully I will be teaching maths to secondary school pupils this time next year. We have also managed to re-let our rental property so everything is working out."

THE PARTY PLANNER

Alicia von Sobbe-Grimberg, 28

Job situation: Made redundant from her £35,000 position as events coordinator for Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf in April. She then worked on her own clothing company Salon Kitty, which she started as a hobby in 2006. Credit Suisse have since offered her a one-year event planning job. She lives with her husband Matthew Luff, a 30-year-old fund manager, in Marylebone.

Redundancy fall-out: "Working in the financial sector is very insecure. I started Salon Kitty before I was made redundant because I wanted to be able to support myself if something went wrong. I have only just been offered a one-year contract at Credit Suisse which has come at the right time because I haven't had many sales on my clothing website recently."

The future: "Selling clothes online was hard work because I had to invest thousands in the site and buying stock. I hope one day the Salon Kitty website will be an asset I can sell. In the meantime I am doing both jobs and putting money aside. I need to be prepared in case the recession worsens and I am left without work again."

THE SALES EXECUTIVE

Darren Smith, 31

Job situation: Worked as a sales manager on a Department for Skills and Education project encouraging children into further education. Was made redundant in February last year. He took his redundancy money and spent the lot on a round the world trip. Now employed by recruitment agency Fish4jobs as national sales account manager. He is single and shares a flat in London Bridge.

Redundancy fall-out: "It came as a bit of a shock when I lost my job. The entire team of 200 employees was made redundant in one go. When I got my redundancy packet I decided to blow it. I assumed it would be easy to find another job but it was extremely difficult. I ended up accepting a job I absolutely hated purely because I needed to work but every day I was job hunting. Eventually I was given my current job and that was a total relief."

The future: "In retrospect losing my job was a blessing in disguise because I love my new role. Obviously my job means I keep an eye on the job market and it has definitely shifted in the last 12 months."