The furlough scheme closes yesterday, with uncertain times ahead for people who have not yet fully returned to work.
Nearly one million workers were expected to be on the scheme at the end of September, according to estimates by the Office for National Statistics.
It is unclear how many of those still were relying on it for all of their income.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it has helped pay the wages of 11.6 million workers. But many forecasters, including the Bank of England, are expecting a small rise in unemployment as it ends.
The Chancellor said that he was proud of the near £70bn scheme, but it was now the right time for it to close, despite calls for further support from some badly-hit companies. The travel sector has suffered more than most during the pandemic, with businesses being affected by changing restrictions and lower consumer confidence.
Furlough was introduced in March 2020 after Covid-19 forced large parts of the UK economy to close. Officially known as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, it saw the government pay towards the wages of people who could not work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them, up to a monthly limit of £2,500.
At first it paid 80% of their usual wage, but in August and September it paid 60%, with employers paying 20%. There have been big recruitment drives for hospitality staff, HGV drivers and warehouse workers as businesses get back on their feet.
Latest official figures show the UK's economy grew by 5.5% between April and June - revised up from the initial estimate of 4.8%. The uplift was largely driven by household spending rebounding after lockdowns, although many firms are now being held back by current labour shortages.
"Any hope that the end of the furlough scheme might be the magic wand to solve the supply chain crisis is likely to be wishful thinking," said Susannah Streeter, from Hargreaves Lansdown. There is likely to be a big mismatch of skills and experience between those leaving the furlough scheme and the jobs on offer, she added.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said: "We think there are probably two million fewer people unemployed than would have been the case if this scheme hadn't been introduced.
"I think it's done an enormous amount to shield our economy and our society from the worst of Covid." The scheme has also been praised by the Resolution Foundation think tank as a success.
Its senior economist, Dan Tomlinson, said: “Furlough had been as critical to fighting the Covid crisis as nationalising the banks was to fighting the global financial crisis." But the foundation's recent research suggested that a small rise in unemployment was a real risk for those still on the scheme as it ends, particularly older workers or those in the travel sector.
