78% of closed businesses have furloughed
Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that almost a quarter of businesses responding to its survey on the economic effects of Covid-19 temporarily closed or paused trading between 23 March and 5 April.
Those in the arts, entertainment and recreation were most likely to have done so (82%), followed by hotels and restaurants (81%).
However, there were enough responses to indicate that the majority of staff (78%) at businesses that reported as no longer trading were on furlough leave, under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Less than 1% of the workforce had been made redundant across businesses that were still trading or had temporarily paused trading during the period.
At companies still trading, around one in seven workers (14%) were on furlough. This was highest in hotels and restaurants (40%), followed by the construction sector (32%).
Experimental estimates covering employees (not the self-employed) based on PAYE (Pay As You Earn) and Real Time Information (RTI) from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) suggest there were 29.1 million people in paid employment in March 2020, around 18,000 fewer than in February 2020. This is a decrease of 0.06%.
The number of paid employees in March 2020 was 0.8% higher than a year earlier.