redundancies

To reduce expenses by £300m per annum

More than half of all employees have been made redundant or suffered long-term illness during their working life, MetLife Employee Benefits has found.

Sesame Bankhall has confirmed Barclays has been appointed to review "strategic options" for the group, seemingly confirming industry speculation that parent Friends Life is putting the network up for sale.

Friends Life is allegedly letting key senior managers go in its continued redundancies as part of its widescale company restructure, industry sources have revealed.

Friends Life has said that 150 jobs are under threat of redundancy as part of an ongoing company restructure and cost-cutting plan.

Product provider Aviva is set to cut a further 120 jobs as it continues to target cost savings of £400m.

Zurich is to cut 200 jobs from across its UK Life business.

Aviva has said up to 800 jobs at its UK business are under threat as it continues to drive through cost-cutting measures.

Recent falls in unemployment have shown the labour market is on a sound footing, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development quarterly report.

Up to 100 jobs could be at risk after Simplyhealth announced it would move all its private medical insurance operations to its Bristol base.