Cumulative number of jobs furloughed under the job retention scheme UK 2020-2021

As of November 21, 2021, approximately 11.7 million jobs, from 1.3 million different employers were furloughed in the United Kingdom as part of the government's job retention scheme. The day with the most jobs furloughed at once was May 8, 2020, when 8.86 million jobs were on the job retention scheme. The scheme, introduced in response to the economic damage caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, covers 80 percent of an employees' usual monthly wage, up to 2.5 thousand British pounds a month.

How much does the scheme cost?

The UK government is estimated to have spent 46.4 billion British pounds on the job retention scheme, with that figure expected to rise to 80 billion by the time the program stops in October 2020. To pay for this scheme, among others, it is likely the government will have to resort to levels of borrowing not seen since the Second World War.

How hard has the UK been hit by COVID-19?

Although the government’s fiscal response to the Coronavirus crisis was generally praised, the public health situation has drawn some considerable criticisms. As of May 2020, the UK has suffered the most Coronavirus deaths in Europe, and was second only to Russia in the number of cases. In terms of the Coronavirus death rate, the UK had one of the highest in Europe at 146.9 deaths per 100 thousand people, but fared better than Belgium which had a incidence rate of 181.89 deaths per 100 thousand people.