Unemployment rate likely heading to 10% amid Covid-19 economic toll

The number of people unemployed or on sick pay has effectively doubled overnight to over 10% of the labour force, and could rise again, with implications for Government budget spending, if the Covid-19 emergency measures extend through the summer, leading economists and business groups have estimated.

The huge toll of the virus emergency has soared since the weekend, as 140,000 people were put on sick leave yesterday — including 20,000 childcare workers, 50,000 pub staff, and 70,000 staff in restaurants, cafes, and other food outlets.