Two-thirds of UK’s furloughed workers continued job in Covid-19 lockdown

The Guardian report that a study by economists from the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Zurich have found that women were significantly more likely to be furloughed than men doing the same type of job and 75% of furloughed men had their wages topped up beyond the 80% provided by the Government, while 65% of women enjoyed this financial benefit.

The Guardian report that a study by economists from the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Zurich have found that women were significantly more likely to be furloughed than men doing the same type of job and 75% of furloughed men had their wages topped up beyond the 80% provided by the Government, while 65% of women enjoyed this financial benefit. The study also found that 87% of men and 77% of women who received a salary top up continued to work for their employer while on furlough, even though the Government explicitly forbids this practice. Among those workers who didn’t receive a top up, 69% of men and 52% of women routinely ignored this prohibition. Dr Christopher Rauh, an economist at Cambridge University commented: “One reason seems to be a kind of deal with the employer: my salary gets topped up, so I do some work. But it also seems that people are afraid of losing their jobs when the scheme ends.”

Read more

Latest News

Read More

How can employers better support its LGBTQ+ workers

20 June 2025

Newsletter

Receive the latest HR news and strategic content

Please note, as per the GDPR Legislation, we need to ensure you are ‘Opted In’ to receive updates from ‘theHRDIRECTOR’. We will NEVER sell, rent, share or give away your data to third parties. We only use it to send information about our products and updates within the HR space To see our Privacy Policy – click here

Latest HR Jobs

University of Bath – Campus ServicesSalary: £30,805 to £37,174. Grade 6 This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal

University of Oxford – Department of BiochemistrySalary: £27,838 to £31,459 per annum. Grade 4 This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered.

University of Cambridge – Department of PharmacologySalary: £33,482 to £39,355 per annum This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment

University of Oxford – Department of Social Policy and InterventionSalary: £31,459 to £36,616. Grade 5 This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE