More UK jobs pain ahead, experts warn "Whereas employers were in "wait and see" mode three months ago, more private sector firms, particularly among private sector services firms, have decided to push the redundancy button in response to worsening economic news," said Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the CIPD. This will exert yet more pressure on a jobs market that is buckling under the strains of contractions in economic growth and public sector employment. The survey revealed a further widening of the north-south divide in job prospects, with the outlook improving modestly in the south of England but falling in the north. "With redundancies looking set to be a feature in growing numbers of firms in the months to come, business leaders need to focus attention on communicating and consulting with staff to build trust and employee engagement in these uncertain times," said Mr Davies. Employees are likely to respond more positively to change, and even to the threat of redundancies, if they feel that they have a voice in the workplace and that senior leaders listen to their views before taking decisions.