By LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane has signed up to judge the winner of a ‘war game’ designed to help firms find alternatives to mass layoffs in the face of a coronavirus-driven slowdown.Confronted with the most unpredictable pandemic in memory, cost-conscious firms have already axed millions of staff worldwide, while UK redundancies hit a record high of 314,000 in the quarter to Sept. 30, official data showed on Tuesday.“Many companies across the UK are facing financial strains as a result of the COVID crisis,” Haldane told Reuters.“Simulation tools can help...…By LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane has signed up to judge the winner of a ‘war game’ designed to help firms find alternatives to mass layoffs in the face of a coronavirus-driven slowdown.Confronted with the most unpredictable pandemic in memory, cost-conscious firms have already axed millions of staff worldwide, while UK redundancies hit a record high of 314,000 in the quarter to Sept. 30, official data showed on Tuesday.“Many companies across the UK are facing financial strains as a result of the COVID crisis,” Haldane told Reuters.“Simulation tools can help...WW…