ALMOST a third of workers in Bromsgrove are on the Government’s furlough scheme, according to the latest statistics from HM Revenue and Customs.
The figures, which cover the period up to June 30, show 13,900 workers are furloughed out of 45,000 – the equivalent of 31 per cent.
Redditch is higher than Bromsgrove with 14,800 furloughed out of 42,800 employees on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The district most reliant on the support is Wyre Forest which covers Kidderminster, with 15,100 people furloughed out of 43,600 staff, or 35 per cent of the workforce.
Worcester has 16,600 workers on the scheme out 52,100 – or 32 per cent.
The percentages for Wychavon are 31 per cent with 18,500 people furloughed, and Malvern on 32 per cent with 10,000 staff furloughed.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was announced by the government on March 20, 2020 to support employers who had been unable to undertake their normal activities through the Covid-19 period.
Under CJRS, employers were able to claim support from the period starting March 1, 2020, where employees have already been furloughed from that date.
For the period covered by these figures the scheme provides employers with financial support of up to 80 per cent of salary, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month per employee, plus associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment pension contributions.
From July 1, 2020, employers have had the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work part time.
Additionally they can decide the hours and shift patterns of their employees – with the government continuing to pay 80 per cent of salaries for the hours they do not work.
