As many as one in ten people of working age in Barnet could be left jobless this year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hammer the high street.

A council report reveals the borough’s unemployment rate is forecast to be 7.5 per cent in 2021 but “could rise as high as 10 per cent – which would equate to 30,000 unemployed people in Barnet”.

It would be a significant increase on the borough’s current unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent.

The projected figures, set out in a report to the housing and growth committee on Monday, come despite the support given to businesses by local and national government – including grants to more than 4,800 Barnet businesses totalling £65 million.

Barnet was initially thought to have a low exposure to the sectors most at risk from the pandemic, the report reveals. But retail has been hit hard by Covid-19, and the borough’s small businesses have been identified as at risk due to their limited reserves.

Young people, women and BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) workers have been disproportionately affected by Covid-related unemployment, along with those living in the west of the borough.

Speaking at the committee meeting, Luke Ward, the council’s assistant director of development and economy, said the increase in the size of the health and care sector presented an opportunity to help people into work and boost the local economy.

He said the move to online shopping had led to a decline in retail roles, and people who would normally apply for those positions could be encouraged to take up roles in health and care instead.

The report identifies the care sector, along with the green economy, as presenting new training opportunities and career pathways for Barnet residents.

It sets out a number of initiatives designed to help people gain new skills and move into employment, including the job entry targeted support programme – a £238 million government scheme dedicated to supporting those left jobless due to Covid19.

The report adds: “As well as responding to the pandemic, council officers are also taking stock and will be setting out a long-term approach to employment and skills aimed at fully delivering objectives included in the growth strategy, children and young people’s plan and other relevant corporate strategies.”