16 Nov 2020
Research carried out by think tank the Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics (CEME) has suggested that the UK's wealth gap is widening as a result of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Around a third of individuals now have less than £1,500 in savings, the CEME found. In the three months to September, 314,000 workers lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Redundancies have caused many households to make use of savings they have stored up, according to the think tank.
However, a proportion of workers have strengthened their financial situation by saving more of what they earn. The CEME revealed that savings ratios have risen from 5% in 2019 to almost 30% in 2020.
Commenting on the research, Andrei Rogobete, Associate Director of the CEME, said: 'Financial inequality is rising fast against a historic background of big differences between the wealth of the rich and the poor. The so-called wealth gap is becoming a chasm as lockdowns inflict the greatest pain on people with low paid, insecure jobs.'