Paid employment in UK fell by 649,000 since lockdown

Despite the furlough scheme – paid employment in the UK has fallen by almost 650,000 since the start of the pandemic in March – with the steepest fall in the number of hours worked since records began.

More and more companies are outlining plans to shed thousands of jobs.

While in another example today, British Gas owners Centrica told staff they would have to accept new working conditions, including an end to extra overtime pay or risk losing their jobs.