Scheme protects 18,000 jobs
Tory MSP Sharon Dowey has praised the UK Government for continuing to protect vital local jobs and livelihoods through the furlough scheme.
Provisional figures from HMRC show that 269,800 employees in Scotland were furloughed at the end of April, down from the 333,300 that were being protected by the scheme in March.
The South Scotland List MSP says the furlough scheme is just one of the examples of how the UK Treasury have protected individuals and businesses in
South Ayrshire throughout the pandemic. In South Ayrshire, 5900 employees were furloughed at the end of April. In total in South Ayrshire, 17,900 employees have had their jobs protected by the UK Government since March 2020, a take-up rate of 14% amongst eligible employees.
Mrs Dowey said:“The UK Government put the furlough scheme in place immediately as the pandemic struck to protect vital jobs and livelihoods throughout the country.
“As we see restrictions easing and as we look to accelerate our economic recovery, it is understandable that the numbers being furloughed are starting to decrease. The UK Government are committed to having this support in place until the end of September. The Treasury are still supporting thousands of jobs in South Ayrshire to protect the local economy. Coupled with the self-employed scheme and billions in business loans, these schemes have shown the strength of pooling and sharing resources across the UK.”