According to an online survey by Gumtree, half of working people in Britain (49%) are worried about their current job security, and 44% are daunted by the job-hunting process.
Following the unemployment rate rising from 7.9% to 8% according to the Office of National Statistics figures, only 11% of Brits claim to be 'very confident' about keeping their job. Employees aged between 45 and 54 year olds are most concerned, with 62% worried about their job security. This is followed by 35-44 year olds, at 58%. Women are also more daunted at the prospect of job-hunting than men, at 45%.
If facing redundancy, results show that a 63% of people don't feel they'd have the right skills or experience to change industry and 49% feel they don't have the right qualifications to step into a new field. However, 36% would consider a career change if redundancy came knocking.
The research also shows that 28% of 18-24 year olds would consider social media one of the best ways to find a new job, using websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter - reflecting the increasing role of technology and the internet as a means of tapping in to networking opportunities.
