Be prepared - that's the secret to surviving recession; North East Chamber of Commerce.

Byline: ANDREW SUGDEN

THERE'S no shortage of column inches being filled lately with what's become the standard mix of 20:20 hindsight and doom-laden predictions.

It's not just our friend in the South, Robert Peston, either - none of the rolling 24-hour news stations, myriad internet services, or the traditional Press seems able to sate their appetite for another bite-sized chunk of the 'credit crunch'. We all now know it's tough, and going to get tougher. There seems something of a consensus that the UK economy will shrink by around 2% in 2009 - definitely a recession and one that will be felt in many areas of the economy.

But spare a thought for those of us who have never experienced this type of economic white-knuckle ride.

There is a whole cohort of people in today's workforce, and sometimes whole companies - from the newest entrants to those in their mid-30s - that missed the last serious economic downturn in the early 1990s. The current situation seems not only to have arrived amazingly swiftly (something I think we all feel) but also brings with it a sense of bewilderment, of genuine puzzlement about what a recession actually means.

It's, therefore, no coincidence that a mini-industry has sprung up providing the tools for managing/leading/surviving in a downturn. All very necessary, equally applicable to those a little longer in the tooth, but no doubt more in demand by Generations X and Y.

I'm advised by those that have tread a similar path before that the taps will continue to work and the telly will still turn on.

And that it's best to be prepared.

Not simply for the lean times ahead, but for the recovery that will surely follow.

That seems like pretty good advice.

Andrew Sugden, membership and policy director, North East Chamber of Commerce