Almost 130,000 construction workers still on furlough

A total of 129,600 construction workers remain on furlough – estimated to be 10% of those eligible for the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The latest government figures, which look at employments on furlough up to 30 June 2021, show a small decline on the previous period to 31 May, when 140,500 construction workers were on furlough.

The government said that overall, employments on furlough decreased “significantly” in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In total, 1.55 million people were on furlough at 30 June. London is the English region with the most staff on furlough: 345,400 at 30 June.

In the last three months, younger people have moved off the scheme twice as quickly as all other age brackets.