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An estimated 4.7 million employees were laid off at the end of January, with women accounting for the majority of the number, according to provisional figures from the Treasury.
They showed a jump in demand for the Job Retention Scheme during the month when England entered its third COVID-19 lockdown, forcing nonessential retail and hospitality businesses into winter hibernation.
The leave plan, which has been extended three times, provides up to 80% of salaries with a limit of £ 2,500 per month.
The most recent data showed that the number of women on leave had risen to 2.32 million on January 31, while the number of men was 2.18 million.
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Hospitality advocates for ‘significant’ support from Sunak
The Treasury said all sectors of the economy turned to the scheme, with the total number rising from four million at the end of December.
More than 11 million worker wages have been supported since the leave scheme was implemented last spring, the updated report added.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is widely inclined to extend it, at least until the end of June, when he reveals his budget next Wednesday.
He has said before the statement that protecting jobs remains his priority as the UK unemployment rate continues to rise as a result of the disruption of the pandemic that has left large parts of the economy shut down for most of the last 11 months.
The worst hit sectors are expected to receive extended help to recover as they are allowed to reopen under Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap revealed earlier this week.
Interim data from the Treasury showed that the food and lodging services sector had the highest rate of license adoption (68% of employers) on January 31, with 1.15 million people obtaining license support.
There were nearly 940,000 licensed in the retail sector as of the same date, as non-essential stores were also closed.
The Daily Mail reported Thursday that Sunak was considering a relaunch of last summer’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme to boost pub, cafe and restaurant trade along with more VAT support for hospitality and retail.
