Lockdown has claimed nearly 650,000 jobs since March
Lockdown has claimed nearly 650,000 jobs since March

UK workers on company payrolls have fallen by 649,000 during lockdown as the coronavirus crisis claimed another 74,000 jobs last month, according to official figures.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said early estimates showed the number of paid employees fell by 1.9% year on year in June to 28.4 million, and by 0.3% compared with the previous month.

It said the pace of job losses appeared to have slowed in June, with claims under Universal Credit by the unemployed and those on low incomes falling by 28,100 between May and June to 2.6 million.

But the claimant count has more than doubled since March – soaring 112.2% or by 1.4 million – in a sign of the mounting jobs crisis.