How 'safe' is your job?

[MissCommando]

What industry do you work in? Have you ever been threatened that your job isn't safe due to the recession? Or have you lost your job as a result? How many of you are lucky enough to be in a completely safe job and don't worry about it?

[Prudie]

It's a shame you brought up that old chestnut Joe, totally sweeping. Many of the civil servants I work with are not pen-pushers at all in fact some can barely write, however they are highly skilled engineers and mechanics and work damned hard.

[joeluke]

Office based Civil Servants Prudie

[Prudie]

Well I'm in an office and my job is no way cushy. Perhaps it is in the Tax Office.

[factor-fiction]

I wouldn't describe teaching as 'cushy' either

[excelsior-1]

i'm in a supermarket supply warehouse.

i've narrowly missed compulsory redundancies, due to down-sizing, twice in the last three years.

now - the job itself is safe however - my line manager cannot stand the sight of me, and is waiting for the opportunity to dismiss me if i make a mistake or have an accident.
it's like walking on eggshells.

[Tilly2]

Aw excel. Have you upset your line manager?

[excelsior-1]

hello tilly.

not that i am aware of.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Sadly no job is safe anymore.
Thenry, you pay your way in unpaid overtime, untaken breaks and loyalty.
I was made redundant from a niche job in 2009, did a year in the worst job of my life and now I'm settled again, but I don't take any of it for granted.

[EcclesCake]

I'm fascinated by the sweeping generalisations of Civil Servants. What about the Civil Servants who volunteer to go to hostile environments? Just how 'cushy' is a tour of Afghanistan?

[Tilly2]

Well then, why doesn't he/she like you?

[China Doll]

I work for the NHS but in a foundation Trust. My job is safe in that it needs to exist, and also not many people would really want it I don't think. However we recently had an admin review, it ended that my banding was not downgraded which has happened in many departments but I had to fight quite hard to stop them piling more stuff on me, which I must have done quite well because they actually have organised some help for me..... which as soon as I've finished training the person might even mean I get the help. I expect that this will not be the first admin review I have to fight my way through though.

[sunny-dave]

Funny isn't it eccles - if I (based on one or two personal experiences) post some random generalisation like "All lorry drivers are arrogant, idle bastards who have no respect for other road users" then I get stamped all over for making ridiculous extrapolations from the personal to the general.

If some salad-chef makes a similarly ludicrous, sweeping assertion about 'public service' workers then the silence is deafening ...

[EcclesCake]

Funny indeed Dave.

[Tilly2]

Dave, as a fellow teacher, I know that we have been hearing this kind of thing for years and years.

I've grown accustomed to it now and don't even bother to retaliate apart from saying, 'Well if you think it's so easy, why don't you train as a teacher?'

[China Doll]

I always get the NHS admin is easy/full of muppets/incompetence/blah, blah, blah... I have some sympathy for that sort of answer, there certainly do seem to be a fair share of people along for the ride in the NHS. But it's getting harder to be like that and still keep you job in the NHS these days, and for every one idiot that gives all admin staff a bad name, there are several more working the jobs of two people, staying late at night and going above and beyond... we don't really make the headlines though sadly.

[Zacs-Master]

I have found this a very interesting thread and as the husband of someone who works for the NHS, I empathise totally with the comments made on here tonight. I'm 50 and work in the design profession allied to the construction industry and I'm finding I have to work longer hours under more pressure than I've had to in my whole career. Someone said having a job is a luxury and whilst I don't agree totally, I know what they mean.

[buildersmate]

There are few completely safe jobs; perhaps working for oneself is the 'safest' way but then there are other pressures to maintain the business.
I have shifted career from production management, projects management, HR management and finally into management consultancy in a career spanning five different employers. I got out of manufacturing because of a decline in the manufacturing base in the UK - too much of it was being outsourced to the far east.
I've been made redundant three times within those five employers - at ages 34, 40 and 47, each time being lucky enough to take a reasonable cash sum from the situation. The first time was the worst when it took 5 months to get back into work and I had to uproot my family and change location.
At 53 I decided to stop making money for directors of the small consultancy I worked for and make money for me instead. It has been moderately successful so I have stopped working and live on the accrued profits until I start drawing my pension. I am 59.

[ojread2]

Haven't felt threatened although about 4 years ago, we all had our hours reduced a bit

I work with children so, as long as people keep having kids, I should be ok :)

[MissCommando]

I've also found this thread very interesting. Thanks for all your input, I also like knowing what you all do for a living. It just feels like at the moment, no job is safe. Scary really.