Redundancy can be a good opportunity to pick up new skills, according to an expert.
Rachel Morgan-Trimmer, founder of the Career Break Site, said people who take breaks from their jobs often acquire new skills that can make their CVs stand out.
She noted that redundancy is a particularly good opportunity for workers to take a step back and improve their skills.
"The recession has been hard for a lot of people. Once they have been made redundant, it is a great opportunity for them to take a career break but also to develop their skills a bit more," she said.
Ms Morgan-Trimmer noted that the current job market is "very competitive" and people have to work much harder to make their CVs stand out from those of other applicants.
Earlier this year, managing director of ATA Selection Andrew Hardaker urged people facing redundancy to invest in skills training.
He noted that this could help them to settle back into work easier and avoid their redundancy payments being "eaten away on day-to-day living expenses".
According to Enterprise Nation's 2009 Home Business Report, another step taken by many people who face losing their job is going into business on their own.
The study published in November found that some 300,000 people have set up an enterprise at home over the previous 12 months.
It attributed this to the high number of redundancies caused by the recession and the lack of job security facing much of the UK workforce.
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