Credit-crunched

… A new way of talking about losing your job, as seen in today's Guardian: "Figures out today suggest the number of credit-crunched City workers looking for a new job last month increased by 42%."

Here are some of the most common ways to describe unemployment in the UK:

to be laid off (= esp used for those working in big industries): "5,000 workers have been laid off by Ford."

to be made redundant = when there is no longer any work for you: "He was made redundant from his job last year".

to be fired = to lose your job because you have done something wrong: "The employee was fired on the spot." "He's been fired from five jobs in a year."

to be sacked (= to be fired): "He was sacked for being persistently late."

to get your P45 (= a piece of paper your employer gives you when you lose your job which records your pay and tax): "As soon as I walked in the door, they gave me my P45."

to be on the dole (dole = unemployment benefit): "She's been on the dole for three months."