Employers are taking extra measures to curb redundancy figures, according to the latest research which shows that many are working hard to retain staff in the current economic climate.

Data based on findings from the quarterly CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook shows that half of employers have introduced recruitment freezes to offset the need to make redundancies, while 44% are terminating temporary or agency worker contracts and one in seven (15%) has introduced short-term working.

Other measures being taken to help avoid redundancies include more use of flexible working (19%), cutting bonuses (17%) and wage cuts (7%).

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said: “There is little doubt that private sector companies will continue to shed staff in great numbers this year and into 2010.

“However, what often goes unnoticed beneath the headlines is the extent to which employers are introducing alternatives to avoid or minimise the number of redundancies they make.

“Measures such as recruitment freezes, shedding temporary workers and short-term working are clearly not without pain, but they can often be preferable to redundancies.

"There is a high cost to making people redundant, and letting skilled staff go can risk longer-term damage to the future prospects of the business.

“These findings highlight the lengths to which managers are going to minimise the impact of the recession on their organisations and employees.”