UK businesses report that 20% of staff are still on furlough as of last week

ONS reports with the latest figures as of 11 February

That is up from 18% from the week before and up from 17% at the end of January, which at the time was the highest since July last year.

Meanwhile, payment data revealed that spending activity was roughly 72% of what the average was back in February 2020 i.e. pre-pandemic in the week to 11 February.

While there is some improvement on the consumption front, the furlough statistic is still disconcerting and is something to consider when viewing UK labour market conditions; also a key factor to watch before it expires at the end of April.