LONDON (UK) – The British government received 1.2 million new claims for welfare payments from March 16th, eight times above normal levels, with the coronavirus outbreak hitting the economy.
The government kept the figure for new Universal Credit requests at around 950,000 people, last week.
Payments include support for those on low incomes working fewer hours as well as those who lose their jobs.
Usually, a total of 100,000 applicants are received per two-week period.
Analysts believe that the country is heading for its sharpest economic slump in a century due to the slump owing to coronavirus.
The government pledged to provide 80% of the pay of workers temporarily laid off and has raised welfare payments for those out of work.
In the U.S., those seeking unemployment benefits over the last three weeks totalled a staggering 15 million.
The country’s welfare department is changing its system for new claims being made so applicants no longer need to do a telephonic interview.
From March 23 and 27, 1.8 million calls have been made to the Universal Credit helpline. A few people had been left waiting for hours.
On March 30 when it was announced that the lockdown measures could last months, there were approximately 2.2 million calls.
10,000 staff have been moved to the government to process the claims and is currently recruiting 5,000 more.
“We are doing whatever it takes to make claiming benefits as straightforward as possible during a time when we are receiving an unprecedented number of claims.”
– Therese Coffey, work and pensions minister
Five million self-employed people in Britain will not hear if they are or aren’t eligible for similar aid until June.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.