UK furlough sees highest numbers since June

The amount of workers in the UK on paid furlough has hit record numbers since June as the country's second lockdown is under full swing.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 15% of workers reported being on furlough between November 2 and November 15 - a 9% increase from a similar survey that covered the latter half of October.

Britain was placed into a four-week lockdown on November 5, which closed pubs, clubs, restaurants, non-essential retailers and many other businesses.

The lockdown is set to expire in early December.

UK chancellor Rishi Sunak also announced the furlough scheme that has been in place since March 2020 will be extended until March 2021, for nearly a full year's coverage.

The chancellor has recently unveiled a scheme to tackle the threat of mass unemployment in the UK, setting aside £4.3 billion (€3.6 billion), to provide for initiatives to get people back into work after unemployment rose to 4.8% with Bank of England forecasts predicting it may jump to as much as 7.7% by mid-2021.

At its peak, the furlough scheme supported 8.9 million people - almost a third of all workers - paying 80% of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month (£30,000 per year).

It has been the single most expensive aspect of Britain's pandemic recovery scheme, costing £43 billion (€47.1 billion) as of the latest recording.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has reported the scheme would support as many as 21% of all workers for November before dropping down to 12% once the lockdown measures are lifted.

It also suggested that unemployment could rise to as much as 7.5% next year, in line with the Bank of England's predictions.

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