Third of Scots Fear Losing Their Jobs in Next 12 Months

More than a third of workers in Scotland are fearful that they might lose their jobs at some point over the next 12 months.

According to a new piece of research, there are concerns about job security among as many as 37 per cent of people currently employed across a full range of industries and all parts of the country.

Worryingly, around one in five of the Scots recently polled said their financial situations are such that they fear they might soon lose their homes either because they stop being able to pay rent or they fall too far behind on their mortgage repayments.

More than a quarter of people quizzed on these issues said that they worry about being able to make their unsecured debt repayments, while 22 per cent aren’t certain they’ll be able to keep paying their energy bills for the next 12 months.  

Close to 40 per cent of Scots said they are concerned about their incomes one way or another, with the UK seemingly on course for a significant rise in unemployment in the latter months of 2020.

“That there is such widespread concern over job security over the next year shows the size and scale of the economic storm people in Scotland are facing as a result of the pandemic,” said Mhoraig Green, a social justice spokesperson for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).

Ms Green and the CAS have called on the governments in London and Edinburgh to take swift action to support people’s incomes as the coronavirus crisis continues, particularly by maintaining the furlough scheme that has protected so many people’s jobs in recent months.

“The UK and Scottish governments, as well as local government and industry, took swift and decisive action at the start of lockdown to ensure people were protected,” Ms Green said.

“The furlough scheme has been so crucial in this, but it is now set to wind down in October along with other protections. Our concern is that many people will face new levels of financial insecurity which will see poverty levels soar.”

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