Unemployment rate increases to 4.9%, fuelled by job losses in retail and hospitality
The number of people being made redundant in the UK soared to a record high in October amid the second coronavirus wave and as the government scaled back its furlough scheme before an 11th hour extension.
The Office for National Statistics said redundancies rose to 370,000 in the three months to October, fuelled by job losses in retail and hospitality, during a period when the flagship wage subsidy scheme became less generous and was due to close at the end of the month.
