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Last year was a big 12 months of job losses on a big scale.
An estimated 9500 public servants were made redundant, with job listings staying low throughout the year.
Listings rose by one percent in November on Seek, but the number of applications per job increased by three percent at the same time.
If you have lost your job, human behavioural specialist counsellor Hayden Brown said the first thing you should do is take ownership and responsibility of the situation.
"This isn't per say for the loss itself but potentially for response or in this case, your emotional response to it," he told Summer Times.
"If we can recognise that we are in that emotional state, and build some self-awareness, mindfulness that we are in this emotional state, it is very likely bringing up past experiences of fear and rejection.
"Then we can actually start to be more mindful of that and try to be more self-governed and creating a plan, whether it's putting a CV together, whether it's networking. Perhaps there is some long overdue meaningful conversations with your partner that perhaps need to be had."
Brown said it helps to recognise that you likely highly polarised, highly emotional, and perhaps even grieving.
He said there is nothing wrong with these emotional states, but you need to start separating what is fact from what is fiction.
"We have the amygdala, which is the threat detection centre (of the brain), and we also have the pre-frontal cortex, and when that comes online, we're most engaged, we're most purposeful, we're most self-governed and strategic," he said.
"The pre-frontal cortex tends to come online when we're doing things that are most meaningful to us, most purposeful and we're living our values."
Brown acknowledged it is easier said than done, but that your best bet is going to really reconnect with what is most meaningful to you, and what gives you that sense of purpose.
He said that tends to transcend the emotional fear-based states and starts to get you to start thinking more strategically and purposefully again.
"So, taking the time, using this as an opportunity. Many of us get complacent, we stay in a job because we've always done it, or because it's good pay, or it's stable," he said.
Brown believes this will help create a road map and allow you to explore future opportunities.
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