About 819,000 paid jobs lost in the UK

Retail and hospitality are the worst hit sectors since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

From the beginning of the Covid pandemic, unemployment has been rising sharply. Figures show that there were about 819,000 paid jost that have gone lost since February in the UK.

UK, about 819,000 paid jobs lost due to the pandemic

The worst-hit sector was hospitality followed by accounting and retail, based on the Office for National Statistics. Because of that, the unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in the three months to October with the jobless total up to 1.7 million people.

And repetitions hit a record high over the period.

A large number of workers losing their jobs in the hospitality area. Bars and restaurants in England had to shut throughout November, and thousands based in areas covered by tier 3 rules remain closed.

We can see the hospitality sector has struggled during the pandemic,” the ONS’s director of economic statistics, Darren Morgan said. The jobs numbers are again grim throughout the pandemic with 819,000 fewer employees on salaries since February, and a record rises in excesses in the three months to October.

The official headline unemployment rate is up only a little at 4.9%. But for most of October, it was above 5%. In September the rate was up to 4.1%. These numbers reflect mainly the period before the second national lockdown. And for the first time, they are broken down by industry. Well over half of the lost employees during the pandemic have been in hospitality and retail, 456,837 out of 819,000. Health and social care have seen extra 74,342 jobs.

Chanchellor Rishi Sunak commented the figures. “We’ve provided over £280bn of support, including protecting over nine million jobs with the furlough scheme and supporting millions of business to keep going with our loans, grants and tax cuts. But we know that, sadly, many people are facing unemployment. That’s why our Plan for Jobs is also helping to create new jobs“.