Increased pressure and ticking clocks, relationship friction, duty and responsibility, loss of control, failures and mistakes, power struggles, losing an advantage, ego-related conflict

Losing a job is a blow to the ego and pocketbook, but it can happen for many reasons. The character's partner may have been fired for poor performance (or worse), laid off due to downsizing, or let go because of a personality conflict or the job site being shut down permanently. The reason for the loss, and the partner's ability to find more work, will determine how hard this loss will be taken.

The character having to set other things aside to be emotionally supportive of their partner
Having to hold back questions about what happened to avoid overwhelming the partner
The character having to keep opinions to themselves about why the partner may have been fired—e.g., because the partner's negative qualities were likely a factor or them being let go is part of a pattern
Giving up planned purchases to reallocate money for bills
Canceling plans or vacations until things are more stable
Tension arising when the character and the partner want to respond differently to the firing, such as one person wanting to let things go while the other wants to fight back