The news was welcomed by Ben Willmott, the head of public policy at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, who had the following to say: “The extension of the furlough scheme until the end of September will leave both employers and workers sighing with relief, and help buy crucial time for the vaccination programme to be rolled out across more of the working age population and for economic recovery to take root.

“This action will save thousands of viable jobs, which otherwise would have been lost if the scheme had finished at the end of April, and could help ensure that unemployment undershoots the official forecasts.

“It is also of course right that the support for the self-employed is extended in parallel with the furlough scheme to protect their livelihoods and businesses over this continued uncertain period.”

As part of the extension, the Chancellor will expect employers to contribute to wages in the coming months.

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