Government must recognise that the pandemic is far from over for some sectors

Government figures today have shown that, with furlough ending at the end of the month, some industries still have very high rates of people on furlough.

In passenger air travel for example there is more than 50% take up of the job retention scheme while in the creative industries and in live events more than 20% are still furloughed.

General Secretary of Prospect Mike Clancy, said:

“These latest numbers of people on furlough are deeply worrying for some sectors which are simply not recovering quickly enough to be ready when we hit the government’s cliff edge at the end of the month.

“Aviation and creative and events industries in particular are lagging well behind, and the worry is that when furlough ends people will simply be made redundant. In aviation the end of the scheme presents a specific challenge around making sure people maintain the recency they require to keep operating. At the moment some companies are using rotating part-time furlough to make sure skills are kept up-to-date, but when that ends we risk losing skills from the industry.

“The government must recognise that the pandemic is a long way from over for some sectors and provide specific targeted support until they have the opportunity to fully recover. Simplifying the rules on travel and giving longer term certainty around them would also help passenger confidence to recover.”