The end is in sight – the furlough scheme comes to an end in September and has now changed from the government paying 80% of the wages of people who couldn’t work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them. From today, the government will pay 70% of furloughed workers’ salaries and employers will pay 10%. From August and September, the government’s contribution will fall to 60% and employers will pay 20%.

With both Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak stating they do not want to extend furlough past September, it appears that a return to full-time working for furloughed staff is on the horizon…or is it?

Even with restrictions planned to be lifted in July, international travel and other businesses which rely on it are still seriously disrupted. This could lead to employees in these affected industries being made redundant when the scheme ends. The Bank of England and the government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, are expecting a rise in unemployment.

It proves to be a tricky time still for many businesses in areas affected by the pandemic and it will be interesting to see what (if anything) will be done for employees whose jobs are at risk.

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