Over 1,000 more Bedford workers took leave in June Bedford News

More than 1,000 more workers in Bedford walked off leave in June, figures show, before government support for employee wages was cut.

The Resolution Foundation said it was essential that as many of the employees on leave as possible return to work quickly, in order to limit the rise in unemployment after the program ends.

The latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs show 4,600 jobs held by workers living in Bedford have been laid off as of June 30 – 6% of all who were eligible.

This was 1,300 less than the 5,900 fired at the end of May.

They were among 590,000 people pulled from the government’s coronavirus job-retention program across the UK.

The number of workers still on leave fell to 1.9 million in June – the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

The June figures are the latest before the program begins to shift more of the burden from the treasury to businesses.

In July, employers had to recoup 10 percent of their employees’ wages, while government support rose from 80 percent to 70 percent.

Employers will now have to cover 20 percent of holiday pay until the plan ends at the end of September.

Although the number of people benefiting from the program fell below 2 million for the first time, the Resolution Foundation said the economy’s reliance on the leave was still a “cause for concern.”

Charlie McCurdy, economist for the think tank, said: “With employer contributions doubling for staff on leave and the program coming to an end in just two months, it is essential that as many of the staff on leave as possible return soon. at work, in order to limit the rise in unemployment this fall.

The number of people on leave has declined since January, when 5.1 million workers were stuck at home.

They were guaranteed 80 percent of their salaries – up to the limit of £ 2,500 – from the government scheme.

But things got better with the lifting of foreclosure restrictions, which had prevented businesses from trading normally, or even opening at all.

After domestic hotels reopened in May, the accommodation and food services sector saw the largest number of UK workers quit their leave in June.

This was also the case in Bedford, with the number of hospitality workers on leave falling by 460, from 1,180 to 720.

Next are the manufacturing sector, which saw 160 people withdraw from the program, and the retail sector (150).

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “It’s fantastic to see businesses across the UK opening up, employees returning to work and the number of jobs on leave fall to their lowest level since the start of the program.

“I am proud that our jobs plan is working and that our support will continue in the months to come.

Young people were the most likely to be on leave during much of the pandemic, but that changed in June when they left the program twice as fast as any other age group.

A total of 600,000 under 25 across the UK were either brought back to work or made redundant.