There were an estimated 4.7 million employees furloughed at the end of January with women accounting for the majority of the number, according to provisional Treasury figures.
They showed a leap in demand for the Job Retention Scheme, which provides up to 80% of salaries, during the month as England entered its third COVID-19 lockdown.
The number of women furloughed had risen by 2.32 million by 31 January while the number of men stood at 2.18 million.
The Treasury said all sectors of the economy drew down on the scheme – with the total number rising from four million at the end of December.
This article was originally published by Sky.com. Read the original article here.