On 23 April, the UK government unveiled an analysis on the furloughing (temporary laying off) of workers amid the lockdown measures that have been put in place across the country. Entitled the Business Impact of Coronavirus Survey (BICS), the study reveals that between 23 March and 5 April, 27% of the UK workforce was furloughed, while less than 1% of workers were made redundant.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) conducted the BICS by surveying a sample of 6,150 companies in the UK. The study reveals that more than one quarter of workers were temporarily laid off by their employers (and not made redundant) during the first two weeks of lockdown in the UK and that a large proportion of the furloughed workers are to benefit from the government’s job retention scheme.
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