Half of working adults believe the pandemic has damaged their career prospects, according to a study

A poll of 2,000 employed or recently unemployed adults found almost one in 10 believe the industry or sector in which they work has become unstable in the last 12 months.

Others have had their pay reduced (eight per cent) or hours cut (11 per cent) as some businesses battle to stay afloat.

The study also found 10 per cent put their plans to change careers on hold due to the pandemic, while seven per cent have had to take on roles they feel overqualified for.

Forced to get a job

More than one in 10 have had to get a job to make ends meet when previously they didn’t work at all.

And one in 20 adults who were self-employed have taken on an employed position for more financial stability, the results found.

However, this has led to 39 per cent taking positive steps to change and improve their career prospects.

Just over half (51 per cent) have updated their CVs, 36 per cent have retrained and 27 per cent have started a ‘side hustle’ business.

The research was commissioned by Santander, ahead of its virtual careers fair which takes place March 10 2021, with more than 600 positions on offer in sectors including tech, engineering, retail, manufacturing and financial services.

A Santander UK spokesperson said: “The pandemic has impacted many people’s careers in a range of ways - from a drop in income to losing their job or taking on a role that they would never have considered before.