Paying workers to stay home during the pandemic protected jobs
But some will be lost as the scheme is wound up
IN MARCH LAST year, as covid-19 spread and countries locked down, governments all over the world faced the prospect of an unprecedented rise in unemployment. Some, like America’s, rolled out income-protection schemes; in Britain, as in continental Europe, the focus was on keeping workers attached to their employers. The Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme saw the state covering 80% of the wage bill for furloughed employees, up to a maximum of £2,500 ($3,485) a month.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Farewell to furlough”
Britain August 7th 2021
From the August 7th 2021 edition
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