More than half of UK workers have experienced a cut in pay or hours or a loss of employment benefits since the recession began, according to a survey of more than 1,600 staff. Unemployment, which is currently at more than 2.2m (7%), would be higher still without such measures, said the Keep Britain Working campaign. They believe the survey demonstrates how employers have tried to prevent job cuts, and that employees have been flexible in accepting proposals.
Across all professions over half (54 per cent) had experienced a cut in pay, a reduction in hours or a loss of benefits since the recession began, the survey found. Two in five workers (40 per cent) had been given extra responsibilities while one in five (20 per cent) had experienced a role change within their organisation.

James Reed, founder of the Keep Britain Working Campaign, said: “The UK workforce has demonstrated unprecedented flexibility during this recession, allowing organisations to explore a whole range of cost-cutting responses other than relying solely on redundancies.”