THOUSANDS more workers in the BCP area were on furlough in January as stricter lockdown restrictions were imposed.

The latest figures come amid reports that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to extend the income support scheme into the summer, to coincide with the Prime Minister’s roadmap out of lockdown.

HM Revenue and Customs data reveals around 30,800 jobs held by workers living in BCP were furloughed as of January 31.

That was 6,000 more than the 24,800 furloughed a month earlier, when the UK was on the cusp of its third national lockdown.

But despite this increase, the number is still far lower than in May last year – the earliest month with comparable figures – when there were 50,000 furloughed jobs.

Jobs at firms which are unable to operate or have no work for their employees during the pandemic are eligible for furlough pay from the Government – with workers currently getting 80 per cent of their wages, up to £2,500 per month.

Across the UK, 4.7 million jobs were furloughed as of January 31, a steep rise from 4 million a month before, but still well below the 8.7 million in May 2020.

Charlie McCurdy, researcher at the Resolution Foundation think tank which focuses on living standards, said: “Today’s HMRC data shows that the Job Retention Scheme again took the strain during the latest lockdown with an increase of almost a million people on the scheme during January.

“Furlough has once again played a crucial role in protecting incomes and keeping a lid on rising unemployment.

“But with almost five million workers still on furlough in the most recent data, our biggest labour market challenges may be ahead of, rather than behind, us.”

Speculation that Mr Sunak will announce an extension to the programme during today's Budget has grown over the past week, after Boris Johnson vowed that the Government would not “pull the rug out” from those using taxpayer-funded support schemes.

As is the case across the UK, the industry with the most jobs furloughed in the South West is hospitality, with 108,500 at the end of January – 28 per cent of all furloughed employments in the region.

The Labour Party warned more than a million hospitality jobs could be lost nationally if the furlough scheme is not extended.

Around 1.1 million jobs in the accommodation and food services sector were furloughed in the UK as of January 31.