The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has announced a new Job Support Scheme today (24th September 2020) to replace the Job Retention Scheme which ends at the end of October 2020.
This will directly support the wages of people in work, giving businesses the option of keeping employees in jobs on shorter hours, rather than making them redundant.
The scheme is designed to support viable jobs so employees must be working at least one third of their normal hours and be paid for the work, as normal by the employer.
The government, with employers, will then increase those employees’ wages covering two thirds of the pay they would have lost by reducing their working hours. Each paying a further one third of salary each.
Anyone who is employed as of 23rd September 2020 and notified to the HRMC is eligible.
The scheme will run from November 2020 to April 2021, all small and medium sized businesses are eligible and larger businesses whose turnover has fallen significantly will be eligible too.
Businesses are eligible for the Job Support Scheme, even if they did not take part in the Furlough scheme.
Employers who retain furlough employees on shorter hours can claim both the Job Support Scheme and the Job Retention Bonus, which is paid from February 2021 if employees are still employed at the end of January 2021.
This new scheme is devised to help employers bring back previously furloughed employees and hopefully reduce the number of redundancies companies are looking to make.
Self employed grants will also be extended, and 15% VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors and help for businesses in repaying government-backed loans.
More details will follow over the next few days.
If you would like further guidance or support on this matter please contact Clover HR on 0121 516 0299 or email us at info@cloverhr.co.uk
