Support for Employers - A Summary

On 24 September 2020, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new initiative, the Job Support Scheme . The scheme will last for six months and start from 1 November, taking over from the current furlough scheme which is due to end on 31 October. The Job Support Scheme requires employees to work at least one-third of their normal hours and will help employers top up salaries when they cannot employ employees full time. For the hours the employee does not work, the government and employer will each pay one-third of the remaining wages so the employee receives at least 77% of their pay. Employees must be in viable jobs to benefit from the scheme. This scheme will run alongside the Job Retention Bonus, as well as other initiatives (see below) aimed to help get people back into work, such as the Kickstart Scheme.

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention (furlough) Scheme, employers now have to pay 10% of the salary of furloughed workers, plus their National Insurance and pension contributions. Employer contributions will increase to 20% of salary from 1 October onwards. Since July, furloughed employees have been able to return to work on a part time basis while remaining furloughed for the rest of the time. The furlough scheme closed to new entrants on 30 June.

A one-off £1,000 Job Retention Bonus can be claimed by employers in respect of all eligible employees who have been previously furloughed if they are still employed at the end of January next year.

The Kickstart Scheme is aimed at young people on Universal Credit aged between 16-24 and at serious risk of long-term unemployment. The Government will fully fund each “Kickstart” job, paying 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week. The government will also pay employers £1500 to set up support and training for people on a Kickstart placement.

Incentive payments for hiring new apprentices have been introduced to support employers that take on new apprentices between 1 August 2020 and 31 January 2021.

Employers will receive:

• £2,000 for apprentices aged 16 to 24; and
• £1,500 for apprentices aged 25 and over

to spend on anything to support the employer’s associated costs.

Coronavirus Self-isolation FAQs

Any individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus) must self-isolate for at least 10 days from when their symptoms started. More information on Coronavirus self-isolation can be found here .