The Office of National Statistics has today officially confirmed what has been obvious for months – the UK is in a recession.
Economists consider a recession as two consecutive three-month periods when gross domestic product (GDP) falls.
The ONS announcement this morning showed the economy shrank by 20.4% between April and June. This followed a contraction of 2.2% in the first three months of the year.
The UK has not been in a recession since the financial crash of 2008-09.
The impact of the downturn has seen many businesses furlough staff, some forced to make redundancies and a few stop trading completely.
The tapering off of the furlough scheme in the coming months is expected to bring more job losses.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Courier has reported news of job losses in every part of Tayside and Fife.
Since March more than 1,000 job losses have been confirmed by businesses operating in Courier Country with the true number far, far greater.
Among firms shedding staff have been Ovo Energy in Perth, Crieff Hydro, Pitlochry Theatre, Don & Low in Forfar and Dundee’s JTC Furniture Group.
Meanwhile Coortek and Carlton Bakeries in Fife, Morris Leslie in Perth and branches of Frankie and Benny’s and Bella Italia have closed completely.
However, other companies have grasped opportunities presented to them and taken on additional staff throughout the pandemic.
The interactive map below shows all Courier reporting relating to jobs. We also inviting you, to alert us to any job market changes you are aware of (see under the map).
