Pick for Britain?

Get straight to the good stuff every day with the Multiply Minute; a lightning-quick round-up of the money news and how it affects you.

Crunch time

Furloughed workers are being called to step in and pick fruit as farms face summer with fields full of produce and no one to harvest it. Only a third of the usual 70,000-strong seasonal labour force is available this year. The rest are in Europe, unable to fly over. Furloughed staff are allowed to work elsewhere during lockdown as long as it’s okay with their main employer.

Back to normal in 2023

The UK economy will suffer a deep, short recession this year (paywall) and then start growing again. But it’ll take until 2023 for the economy to return to the size it was in 2019. The report by major economic forecasting group EY Item Club predicts that growth could fall by 6.8% this year, and consumer spending could drop by as much as 7.5%.

Tourism economies hit worst

The economic impact of coronavirus will be worst in the UK’s beauty spots including the Lake District, Cornwall, and Yorkshire. A study has found that people living in areas that rely on tourism are at a higher risk of losing their jobs.

Shops plan to reopen

Shops are preparing to roll up the shutters for the first time in over a month. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has proposed new rules (paywall) to keep shoppers and staff safe. They’re similar to the measures we’re familiar with in supermarkets: markers on the floor, extra screens, and a limit on the number of people allowed in. Homebase was open for business from Saturday, and John Lewis has said some of its stores will be open by mid May.