The UK's tourism hotspots are the most likely to be impacted by post-lockdown job losses, new research by the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturing revealed on Monday
A wave of unemployment in tourism-dependent economies is expected, with parts of Wales, Cornwall, the Lake District, and Yorkshire the most at risk.
Conversely, London and south-east England, as well as academic hubs such as Oxford and Cambridge, are the least likely to be affected.
Another finding by the RSA was that workers aged 16 to 24 were more than twice as likely to be let go as their middle-aged counterparts.
One of the report's authors said that the figures indicate the government must avoid attempting a return to normal after the crisis is over.
“No part of the country is likely to be spared a severe recession, but those most dependent on hospitality and tourism will be particularly badly hit, especially rural areas, including many Tory shires", said Alan Lockey, who heads the RSA Future Work Centre.
“The government’s response so far has been robust, but it must avoid going back to ‘business as usual’ – including Universal Credit, sanctions and means-testing – if it’s to avoid the devastating impact of prolonged unemployment on whole swathes of the population".
“Covid-19 only highlights the need for a welfare state which addresses the economic insecurity felt by growing numbers of people in the UK", he added.
The figures show that up to 80% of workers in the hotel and food industries are currently on government-backed furlough schemes, while 68% of those employed in arts, entertainment, and recreation are supported by the package.
The UK's national lockdown effort to help tackle to coronavirus pandemic has seen a slump in productivity, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicting the worst recession since the early 1930s.
