On 15 March 2021, the government published updated official statistics on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), revealing that the announcement of the third national lockdown on 4 January 2021 led to a significant increase in the number of jobs furloughed, rising from 3.8 million on 31 December 2020 to around 4.7 million by 31 January 2021.

68% of eligible jobs in accommodation and food services had been furloughed by that date, making hospitality the worst affected sector. Age was another key factor, with workers aged 24 and under representing the highest proportion of those furloughed across different sectors.