Almost two-thirds of Brits back to work as freedom day nears
Almost two-thirds of Brits are now back at their normal workplace as the gradual return to work continues in the run-up to freedom day.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 65 per cent of people had returned to their normal pre-pandemic place of work by 27 June, up one percentage point on the previous two-week period.
This was despite a slight dip in the proportion of Brits travelling to work, which stood at 60 per cent at 4 July.
The survey of businesses also found that the proportion of the workforce on furlough fell to just five per cent by the end of last month — down from 30 per cent in June last year.
The figures suggest many companies are welcoming back staff ahead of the planned final easing of lockdown restrictions on 19 July.
In a further boost for business confidence, by mid to late June 80 per cent of all UK businesses reported that they do not expect to make redundancies in the next three months — up from 73 per cent at the end of December.
Job adverts also picked up at the beginning of this month, with the number of online postings rising four per cent week on week and standing at 135 per cent of the level recorded last February.
It comes ahead of an expected bounce-back in activity later this month when the final stage of the government’s lockdown roadmap allows businesses to return to restriction-free trading.
The next step will also mark the end of the government’s work-from-home guidance, though businesses have been told to dictate their own policies on flexible working.