Job Support Scheme: Rishi Sunak announces plan to top up wages of workers on reduced hours

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But she said Mr Sunak’s package came “too late” for many workers whose redundancy process ahead of losing their jobs at the end of October began last week. And the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said that “many jobs” will be lost over the next few months, as the new scheme requires employers to pay 55 per cent of short-time workers’ wages, compared to no more than 20 per cent under furlough, while those unable to do any work - such as nightclub staff - will not be eligible. IFS director Paul Johnson said the new scheme was “significantly less generous than the furlough scheme it replaces”, as the chancellor was “trying to plot a difficult path between supporting viable jobs while not keeping people in jobs that will not be there once we emerge from the crisis.” Mr Sunak also announced an extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and said that more than one million businesses will be granted flexibility in paying back loans. British Chambers of Commerce director general Adam Marshall said Mr Sunak’s package would give the economy “an important shot in the arm”, but warned that the chancellor “must remain open to taking additional action to support parts of the economy facing unprecedented challenges over the months ahead”.