Unemployment spiked sharply as a result of the coronavirus crisis and associated social distancing restrictions. During March and April 2020 around 2.5 million individuals made claims for Universal Credit, with claims running at seven times usual levels at the peak. The number of vacancies in the economy has fallen by three fifths, and it is likely that five years of employment growth has been wiped out in one month. The impacts have been uneven, with young people, women and the lower paid hardest hit.