One in 20 UK workers furloughed ahead of scheme's closure: ONS

LONDON - The proportion of workers still on Britain's furlough programme, which closes on Thursday, fell to 5% during the two weeks to Sept. 19, down from 6% in the previous two weeks, an official survey of businesses showed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics also showed spending on payment cards rose to 95% of its pre-pandemic level in February 2020 last week, up from 93% in the previous week.