Which industry is paying the biggest monthly furlough wage bill?

The latest research by leading property recruitment specialist, Rayner Personnel, has looked at which industry is currently relying on the Government furlough scheme the most and what this equates to as a monthly wage cost.

Across all UK industries, 30% of the nation’s workforce is on furlough. That’s nearly 11 million people at a cost of £26.7bn per month.

The hardest-hit has been the Accommodation and Food Service Activities industry. The industry has the highest number of workers on furlough at 80%, more than two million workers, with a gross monthly furlough wage bill of over £5bn.

In terms of the sheer percentage of the workforce on furlough, the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation industry has also seen a huge number of employees furloughed (78%).

This then drops considerably to the next highest, with 37% of Construction industry workers on furlough. The Transport and Storage industry (35%) and the Administrative and Support Service Activities industry (34%) have also seen a high percentage of the total workforce furloughed.

However, in terms of the total monthly cost of the furloughed workforce, the Wholesale and Retail: Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles is the industry with the second-highest gross wage bill. The sector is currently paying out £2.9bn a month in furloughed wages, with the Administrative and Support Service Activities industry, Construction and the Arts Entertainment and Recreation sectors also seeing a monthly furlough cost exceeding £2bn a month.

While the Real Estate sector has seen the number of workers furloughed hit 28%, the monthly wage packet for these workers is just £460,000 per month. This is the second-lowest of all industries, with just the Water Supply Sewerage Waste Management And Remediation Activities industry coming in lower.

Industry
Percentage of workforce of furlough
Total number of workforce on furlough
Monthly cost at furlough limit – gross £2,500
Accommodation And Food Service Activities
80%
2,035,728
£5,089,320,000
Wholesale And Retail Trade; Repair Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles
24%
1,177,653
£2,944,132,500
Administrative And Support Service Activities
34%
1,019,424
£2,548,560,000
Construction
37%
833,295
£2,083,237,500
Arts Entertainment And Recreation
78%
802,370
£2,005,925,000
Manufacturing
26%
709,496
£1,773,740,000
Transportation And Storage
35%
630,784
£1,576,960,000
Professional Scientific And Technical Activities
15%
486,328
£1,215,820,000
Human Health And Social Work Activities
8%
376,320
£940,800,000
Education
11%
323,948
£809,870,000
Information And Communication
13%
207,879
£519,697,500
Real Estate Activities
28%
184,140
£460,350,000
Water Supply Sewerage Waste Management And Remediation Activities
11%
26,442
£66,105,000
All Industries
30%
10,677,936
£26,694,840,000
Data on the percentage of furloughed employees and the number of employees per industry from the Office for National Statistics.

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

How to find out when a property was built and why it’s important to know

A leading provider of niche and specialist insurance to the home insurance market, Stanhope, has provided a step-by-step guide to finding out when a property was built and explained why it is so important for the homeowner to know its age. Matthew Ashton a Director of Stanhope said: “Knowing the property’s age is crucial for…
Read More
Breaking News

Five real estate opportunities to watch in 2026

By Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners The 2025 Autumn Budget offered limited stimulus for the housing market and, persistent headwinds such as sticky inflation, higher for longer interest rates, elevated construction costs, and slow planning processes continue to impact development viability. But there are still reasons for cautious optimism. The UK economy…
Read More
Breaking News

Autumn Budget 2025: What It Means for Buyers, Renters and Landlords

Budget headlines for the property sector: Landlords and property investors are the most directly affected, with slightly higher tax on rental income and frozen tax thresholds. Very high‑value homeowners (£2m+) face a new recurring annual charge from 2028. Renters don’t see direct tax changes, but may end up paying more in rent due to increased…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Most Searched Locations in 2025

Rightmove reveals some of the trends which defined the 2025 property market, from the most viewed homes to the most searched for locations UK’s top property hotspots: London, Manchester, and Glasgow are the most searched for locations in 2025 Capital crowns: Wimbledon, Fulham, and Chiswick are the most searched-for London spots for buyers, while Canary…
Read More
affordable houses glasgow
Breaking News

Consistent support for apprenticeships helps construction

The Government has announced a £725 million package of reforms to the apprenticeship system, including £140m for a Mayoral pilot programme. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The consistent messaging from politicians that apprenticeships should be valued as highly as degrees is fantastic and will be of great benefit…
Read More
Christmas Decorations - Good or Bad for Selling
Estate Agent Talk

6 tips for a stress-free Christmas move

With an average of 87,000 home sales taking place during the month of December, Property DriveBuy has compiled practical advice for those due to complete this festive season, a time already known for being one of the busiest and most emotionally charged periods of the year. Despite this bringing the potential for a more stressful…
Read More