UK businesses have applied for 3.8 million workers to be furloughed since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing on Thursday that 512,000 claims have been made to the UK Government's Job Retention Scheme since it opened earlier this week.
Applications worth around £4.5 billion have now been made, with 77,000 new claims on Thursday.Under the scheme, employers can claim a grant covering 80 per cent of the wages for a furloughed employee, up to £2,500 a month.
If you're put on furlough by your employer, you are not legally allowed to do any paid work for them. But that doesn't necessarily mean you can't do any paid work at all, especially if your employer chooses not to