More than 35,000 people have been furloughed in Aberdeen, new statistics show.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) were both announced by the Chancellor at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March as part of a package of support measures for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Now 43,000 more people in Scotland are benefiting from the furlough scheme than in June, taking the total number to 779,500.
And 35,600 people have been furloughed in Aberdeen city alone in the period up to July 31, according to new statistics from The Treasury. This compares to 36,400 in Aberdeenshire.
Commenting on the figures, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK Government is now supporting more than 930,000 jobs in Scotland, a third of the workforce.
“Our pioneering furlough and self-employed schemes are part of an unprecedented package to help businesses and individuals across Scotland during the pandemic.
“On top of these vital initiatives, we loaned more than £2.3 billion to 65,000 Scottish businesses, deferred VAT bills, and increased support to individuals through Universal Credit. In addition, we have allocated the Scottish Government an extra £6.5 billion of direct funding.
“We are focused on getting our economy back on track with innovative and targeted support. We have cut VAT to help restart tourism businesses, our ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme is boosting hospitality businesses, the new £1k job retention bonus will help companies retain staff, and our £2 billion Kickstart scheme to create thousands of high quality jobs for young people.”
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