FOI Ref: FOI/2023/4899
You asked
I would like to enquire about the types of datasets you used for data on the furlough scheme.
We said
Thank you for your query on the types of datasets used for data on the furlough scheme.
There were a number of sources available that estimated the number of furloughed jobs.
Within the Office for National Statistics, we had two main sources of data; the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Business Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey (BICS).
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects information on people who are temporarily away from a job that they expect to return to. This would include people who are on annual leave, maternity or paternity pay and during the pandemic, those furloughed. In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of questions were added to the LFS to better understand the impact of COVID-19. A follow-up question was asked to those temporarily away from work or working less hours because of COVID-19 on the amount of pay they were receiving. Data were published monthly in X07: Labour Force Survey weekly estimates, which was discontinued in April 2022.
The Business Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey (BICS) was launched in April 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It included a question asking businesses to estimate the proportion of jobs furloughed. These proportions can be applied to existing jobs data to estimate the number of furloughed jobs. These estimates were published bi-weekly in the BICS results.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) also published the number of furloughed jobs in their Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) statistical bulletin. This information was sourced from administrative data and where possible linked to further sources to provide more detailed information.
If you need any further help or would like to discuss any of the above please email the Labour Market helpline at labour.market@ons.gov.uk.