Thousands return from furlough

UK businesses have said that thousands of employees have returned from furlough in the past two weeks, while there has also been a jump in companies restarting their operations, according to new figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that trading companies saw 7 per cent of their workforce return from furlough, representing thousands of workers, in its latest survey on the impact of coronavirus.

Many workers came back from furlough during the two-week survey period to June 28 after retailers were given the go-ahead to reopen their doors. It also said firms reported that 3 per cent of their workforce returned from remote working over the period.

Meanwhile, the ONS said that 88 per cent of UK firms were trading over the period, with 4 per cent of these restarting work in the preceding two-week period.

The figures said that 4 per cent of businesses were not trading but intended to restart operations over the next two weeks, as more hospitality firms open their doors.

The new data also revealed that 43 per cent of businesses currently trading said they had less than six months of cash reserves.

Meanwhile, around 3 per cent said they had no cash reserves at all, with this increasing to 10 per cent of firms who had paused trading.