The number of people claiming unemployment benefits leapt by 1.6 million to 2.8 million since March but they will include the self-employed and people working fewer hours. After the 1929 Wall Street Crash, it only rose by a million in Britain, according to the Institute for Employment Studies. "We need strong action now to stop lasting damage.”IES director Tony Wilson predicted “claimant unemployment” could top the all-time 1986 high of 3.1 million. Office for National Statistics figures revealed more than 600,000 workers dropped off company payrolls between March and May. But the jobless rate was largely unchanged at 3.9% or 1.34 million in the three months to April due to around nine million workers being placed on the Government’s furlough scheme.

Source: Daily Mirror June 16, 2020 21:08 UTC