Workers who have been furloughed because of coronavirus will still get 80% of their wages paid by the government until October.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak extended the scheme today, giving an announcement in the House of Commons.
The government committed to extending the initiative until October, and confirmed they’d not be making any changes to covering 80% of workers’ salaries.
Mr Sunak told the House of Commons: “Until the end of July there will be no changes whatsoever. Then from August to October, the scheme will continue for all sectors and regions of the UK but with greater flexibility to support the transition back to work.
“Employers currently using the scheme will be able to bring furloughed employees back part-time. And we will ask employers to start sharing with the Government the cost of paying people’s salaries. Full details will follow by the end of May.
“Workers will through the combined efforts of Government and employers continue to receive the same level of overall support as they do now at 80% of their current salary up to £2,500 a month.
“I’m extending the scheme because I won’t give up on the people who rely on it. Our message today is simple: we stood behind Britain’s workers and businesses as we came into this crisis, and we will stand behind them as we come through the other side.”
The scheme was introduced as a way to prevent employers from having to make redundancies during the coronavirus pandemic.
It has supported approximately 7.5 million workers and one million businesses, costing the government around £8 billion.
