ONS stats | Latest employment figures buck post-furlough job loss fears

Despite fears that the end of the Government’s coronavirus furlough scheme in September would lead to mass unemployment, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that no such spike took place.

The latest data from the ONS, which closely followed employment trends following the conclusion of the scheme, shows that the number of workers on payrolls jumped by 160,000 in October, with jobs vacancies also hitting a new record high of 1.17million, as reported the BBC.

The official rate of unemployment across the country has also fallen to 4.3%, this is reportedly close to pre-pandemic levels.

Despite the easing of measures earlier in the year, an estimated 1.1million workers were still registered on furlough in the scheme's final weeks, which heightened fears of widespread job losses.