Four in ten workers are worried about the possibility of being made redundant during the next 12 months, according to a new Ipsos MORI poll published today.

The survey of 1,500 people, which was conducted between July and September shows that fear of redundancy is at its highest since the poll began in 1999.

Forty-eight per cent of full-time private sector employees said they were concerned about losing their job over the next year compared to just 24 per cent of public sector workers. However, the poll reveals that in terms of worrying about their personal financial situation, 46 per cent of State employees believe their finances will decline as against 32 per cent of private sector workers.

“These latest figures indicate that for many of those working in this sector, cuts in public sector pay are seen as a likely outcome of the upcoming Budget," said Kieran O’Leary, research director at Ipsos MORI.

“Furthermore, despite a slowdown in increases in the rate of unemployment, fears of redundancy remain a real concern for many private and public sector workers alike”.

The underlying outlook about the Irish economy remains pessimistic among consumers, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they think it will worsen over the coming 12 months, and 11 per cent thinking it will improve.