Additional 700,000 people were away from work, with women, young adults and hospitality staff worst hit
The number of furloughed workers in the UK rose by 700,000 to 4.7 million in January, during the third Covid lockdown, according to official figures showing employees in hospitality, women and young adults were most likely to be away from their jobs.
The figures from HM Revenue and Customs show a sharp increase from 4 million at the end of December, as the toughest measures since the first wave of the pandemic sent Britain’s economy into reverse.