More than a quarter of workers were furloughed in first two weeks of the coronavirus lockdown

Analysis by the Office for National Statistics provides indication, based on a survey of employers, of the impact that COVID-19 is having on the labour market

More than a quarter of workers were furloughed in the first two weeks of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, according to new analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In 'Furloughing of workers across UK businesses: 23 March 2020 to 5 April 2020', published yesterday, the ONS provides an early indication, based on a survey of employers, of the impact that COVID-19 is having on the labour market.

The analysis includes that, in the period from 23 March to 5 April 2020 -

• 27 per cent of the workforce had been furloughed across 6,150 businesses that responded to the survey and were still trading or had temporarily paused trading;
• less than 1 per cent of the workforce had been made redundant across businesses that were still trading or had temporarily paused trading;
• 78 per cent of the workforce had been furloughed in businesses that had temporarily closed or had paused trading; and
• for the workforce of businesses that were continuing to trade, the highest incidence of furloughing was in the accommodation and food service industries (40 per cent) and construction industries (32 per cent).

 The ONS analysis Furloughing of workers across UK businesses: 23 March 2020 to 5 April 2020 is available from gov.uk