Despite a strict coronavirus quarantine, the UK unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent in the first quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (18).

The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.8 percent from 5.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, when Covid-19 cases spiked, prompting new restrictions in January. The number of people employed increased by 84,000 in the first three months of 2021, the first rise since the pandemic struck Britain.

The UK government's work furlough policy seems to be having an impact on the unemployment rate.