49,000 in Northumberland helped by furlough scheme

New HM Revenue and Customs data – which reveal the situation before pubs and non-essential shops opened for the first time in months – shows around 17,900 jobs held by workers living in the area were furloughed as of March 31.

That was 1,900 fewer than at the end of February and 2,000 fewer than the January figure

Fifteen per cent of women in the area were furloughed, compared to 13% of men.

Around 5,110 hospitality jobs held by workers in Northumberland were furloughed as of March 31 – 29% of all jobs – the largest proportion of all sectors, followed by wholesale and retail, and motor vehicle repair services (17%).

Thea figures show that, by the end of March, roughly 48,800 jobs in the area had been supported by the Government furlough scheme at some point during the pandemic.

Jobs at firms which are unable to operate or have no work for their employees during the pandemic are eligible for furlough pay from the Government – with workers currently getting 80% of their wages, up to £2,500 per month.

The scheme has been extended until the end of September – beyond the planned reopening of all areas of the economy on June 21 – and employers will have to pay a higher contribution from July.

Nationally, 4.2million jobs were furloughed as of March 31, down from 4.7million a month before.