A further 90,000 people were out of work in the three months to the end of November, pushing the unemployment rate above 5% for the first time since 2016, according to data to be published this week.
The Office for National Statistics’ latest snapshot of the labour market is expected to show a rise from the 4.9% for the three months to the end of October, when nearly 1.7 million were out of work.
However, economists say that the true picture has been clouded by the furlough scheme, which was extended after England’s lockdown in November was announced.
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, estimated that the number of people on furlough will have jumped from 2.5 million in October to 4.5 million
