On 30 September 2021, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the next phase of the Plan for Jobs, part of a £400 billion support package for the economy designed to support employers and workers as the furlough scheme (the CJRS) closes.  

 

According to the Treasury, up to the end of July 2021, 11.6 million jobs have been furloughed and 1.3 million employers benefitted from the scheme. At the end of July 1.6 million workers were still on furlough and we await the final figures as to how many employees were still on furlough as of 30 September.  What will happen to those?

 

The Chancellor has advanced an optimistic view - announcing that as furlough came to an end there were more than 1 million job vacancies. He emphasised that the Plan for Jobs is designed to support UK employers to create new jobs and ensure workers have appropriate skills for the jobs of the future. Employers were encouraged to take advantage of the support on offer, including the Kickstart scheme and additional funding around apprenticeships. 

One thing is for sure: we need some HGV drivers....