The number is based on an online representative survey carried out by the Hans Boeckler Foundation, which monitors the world of work in Germany and is closely linked to the country’s trade unions.

Of the around 7,600 employees surveyed between April 3-14, 14 per cent said they are on short-time work – which amounts to 4 million when considering Germany’s entire workforce.

The Federal Employment Agency has said one in three firms in Germany entitled to claim for salaries under the government scheme have done so.

The state covers 60 per cent of the income of employees who find themselves without work, or 67 per cent for those with children at home.

The Boeckler Foundation noted that those with lower incomes were more likely to be on short-time work and, if they were on the scheme, were less likely to have their salaries topped up by their employers.

“The coronavirus crisis is further reinforcing social inequity in the country,” said Reiner Hoffmann, head of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), commenting on the report.

The DGB has called on the government to increase the short-time work aid to cover 80 per cent of salaries in May, June and July.