The government announced on 17 April 2020 it would be extending the job retention scheme to 30th June 2020 to financially support businesses and their employees during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
The scheme was put in place 1 March 2020 to cover a period of three months, however, due to the current climate the government will extend the scheme by a further month, with a view to review this if necessary.
The government’s furlough Covid-19 (Coronavirus) job retention scheme allows furloughed employees to receive 80% of their salary, capped at £2,500.
Rishi Sunak, chancellor of the exchequer, said: We’ve taken unprecedented action to support jobs and businesses through this period of uncertainty, including the UK-wide job retention scheme. With the extension of the Coronavirus lockdown measures yesterday, it is the right decision to extend the furlough scheme for a month to the end of June to provide clarity.
“It is vital for people’s livelihoods that the UK economy gets up and running again when it is safe to do so, and I will continue to review the scheme so it is supporting our recovery.”