41% chance of losing work suddenly and for months

Mark Lennihan/AP/Press Association Images

How would you cope if your income suddenly dried up? How much cash have you got set aside to keep you going if you lost your job, or ended up going long-term sick? Most of us are struggling with everyday expenses, let alone finding the cash to put aside for this sort of thing. So it's particularly alarming to learn that 41% of people have already suffered redundancy or been off work for more than four weeks.

So what are the risks, and what can you do?