According to the latest Labour Market Overview from the ONS, “Early indicators for May 2020 suggest that the number of employees in the UK on payrolls is down over 600,000 compared with March 2020.”

In addition, the number of vacancies between March and May has seen the biggest quarterly decrease since the series began in 2001.

Graphic via the ONS

Employment levels have definitely fallen, but we won’t have a clear picture until the next release in July as the figures quoted for May are based on “experimental” HMRC data.

For context, the employment rate between January and March 2020 for all people had reached a joint record high of 76.6% – and between February and April 2020, it was 76.4%.

It’s worth remembering that many jobs will reappear when lockdown restrictions ease.