More than 100,000 Lanarkshire workers remain on furlough, official figures have shown.
A total of 117,100 workers were listed as being on the UK Government scheme up to the end of May.
North Lanarkshire had 60,800 workers on the scheme, while South Lanarkshire had 56,300 employees on furlough.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West UK parliamentary constituency had the highest number of claimants on the scheme with 19,100, while Airdrie and Shotts had the lowest number of people on with 15,500.
There were 7500 Self-Employment Income Support Scheme claims in North Lanarkshire totalling £20.8 million while in South Lanarkshire there were 7,400 claims totalling £21.1m.
Across the UK, more than a million workers came off the furlough scheme in May as the economy in England reopened, leaving the scheme supporting the fewest people since the start of the pandemic.
At the end of May, 2.4m people still relied on the scheme for their income, the latest HMRC figures show.
The furlough measures are being phased out by the end of September.
From today, July 1, employers will have to pick up 10 per cent of their furloughed workers’ salaries as the government prepares to phase out the measures.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “Our Plan for Jobs has supported people’s jobs and livelihoods throughout the pandemic and it’s fantastic to see so many people coming off furlough and into their workplaces with our restaurants, pubs and shops reopened.
“These figures show what we always hoped would happen – that the scheme is naturally winding down as the economy reopens, but continuing to support those businesses and employees that need our help.”
