THE chancellor has extended the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme until October. This means that furloughed workers across the UK will continue to receive 80 per cent of their current salary, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month. However, new flexibility will be introduced from August to get employees back to work and boost the economy.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “Our coronavirus job retention scheme has protected millions of jobs and businesses across the UK during the outbreak – and I’ve been clear that I want to avoid a cliff edge and get people back to work in a measured way. This extension and the changes we are making to the scheme will give flexibility to businesses while protecting the livelihoods of the British people and our future economic prospects.”
New statistics published today revealed the job retention scheme has protected 7.5 million workers and almost 1 million businesses.
David Osborne, managing director of shower manufacturer Roman, said, “Today's extension of the furlough scheme is extremely useful as we continue a gradual process of return to work at a pace that we and all our employees are comfortable with. The level of detail within the government guidelines should ensure a coherent and unified approach across our entire customer base which was a major concern for us.”
The scheme will continue in its current form until the end of July and the changes to allow more flexibility will come in from the start of August. More specific details and information around its implementation will be made available by the end of this month.
By Made in Britain 4 years ago | By Made in Britain