THOUSANDS of jobs have been “axed” in the past 24-hours as businesses fight to survive after the coronavirus lockdown.
More than 12,000 jobs have been put at risk since yesterday from firms including Upper Crust, easyJet and Airbus as they look to cut back overheads.
Shocking stats from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that at least 600,000 workers have lost their jobs already as a result of the pandemic lockdown.
Experts predict that it’s going to get worse with up to two million workers expected to become unemployed over the next few months as the true impact of the Covid-19 outbreak is revealed.
Many firms which survive the lockdown have been forced to slash their workforces to remain viable.
SSP Group announced up to 5,000 jobs were at risk at its hospitality brands Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza as the restaurant industry looks to reopen on Saturday but under restricted circumstances.
The group employs 9,000 workers during peak season but it doesn’t expect sales to recover as footfall at airports, train stations and motorway service stations is still far below pre-lockdown levels.
Yesterday, easyJet said it was to close its hubs at Standsted, Southend and Newcastle airports in another blow to the travel industry.
The devastating move will see 4,500 airline workers lose their jobs, while it admitted that the rest of its UK network is “under review”.
Pilots union BALPA said 727 cockpit crew faced the axe – around one in three of easyJet’s 2,300 pilots in the UK.
On Tuesday, Airbus also said it will slash 1,700 jobs in the UK and 15,000 jobs worldwide.
Airbus has two factories in the UK, one in Broughton in north Wales, where wings are manufactured, and another factory at Filton in Bristol which is where cuts will take place.
It expects to make these cuts by summer 2021, but hopes the majority of redundancies will be voluntary or through early retirement of staff.