The New Year saw the UK economy facing the steepest decline in activity and the most rapid rise in unemployment since the Second World War. Whether unemployment peaks at around three million, as in the period 1981-86, or goes even higher, as some reputable forecasters are predicting, remains to be seen. The time between trough and recovery is also hard to predict. With the UK economy facing its worst downturn in more than sixty years, the author argues that UK urgently needs to rethink the contribution adult learning can make in mitigating the worst effects of the recession. In this article, the author picks out some key issues and identifies some ways forward.