STARK new figures reveal how many Scottish workers have been furloughed during the pandemic.
Last week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the country is now in an "economic emergency", alongside a public health emergency.
She made that statement after engineering giant Rolls-Royce announced plans for 700 redundancies at its plant in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire.
Meanwhile, mass cuts have also been announced by big names like EasyJet, British Airways and the National Trust for Scotland, while Scots fashion chain Quiz is also reducing staff numbers as other high street staples like Frankie and Benny's reveal their own closure plans.
Inverness College says it has to make wage bill savings and Scottish Gas owner Centrica will make 5000 redundancies.
Now statistics circulated today by the Treasury show more than 628,000 employees in Scotland have been placed on furlough by their bosses.
And 146,000 self-employed Scots are using the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.
This adds up to a total of 774,000 people supported by the temporary projects.
But it's likely that the figures do not reveal the full extent of furlough, which pays the majority portion of a worker's salary.
This is because the official figures only take in the period until May 31.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “The UK Government is doing everything we can to protect jobs and businesses in Scotland and across the UK during the crisis.
“Our unprecedented job retention and self-employment support schemes have supported the livelihoods of millions and will help ensure our recovery is as swift as possible.”
Around 74,400 people are on furlough payments in the Glasgow area alone, with another 58,000 receiving this support in Edinburgh.
In North Lanarkshire, the figure is 41,800, compared with 39,200 in South Lanarkshire, 37,900 in Fife and 32,200 in the Highlands.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack hailed the “unprecedented” support package, saying : “So far, 774,000 jobs across Scotland have been saved by direct UK Government coronavirus support.
“The UK Government has spent £425 million on supporting 146,000 self-employed people in Scotland. People and businesses in Scotland have also benefited from UK-wide schemes such as VAT deferral, company loans and Universal Credit.
“In addition, the Scottish Government has been allocated an additional £3.8 billion in coronavirus funding through the Barnett Formula.
“The UK Government is doing whatever it takes to get Scotland, and the whole of the UK, through the coronavirus pandemic and ensure our economy can get back on track.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel