UK jobless rate 'could near 15% in second coronavirus wave'

OECD says unemployment is likely to triple even if a second wave is avoided

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The number of unemployed people in Britain could soar to almost 15% of the working population if the country experiences a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said.

A rise in the unemployment rate to 14.8% would take the UK to a higher level than France, Germany and Italy, but lower than Spain, according to the Paris-based thinktank, which is funded by 35 mostly rich countries.