Jamie Hepburn

Provisional figures show as at 31st January 2021, 362,300 employments (14.9% of eligible employments) in Scotland were being supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

This is lower than the UK rate (15.6%) and a rise from 31st December when 11.9% of eligible employments in Scotland were on the scheme.

At the end of January, 131,000 people in Scotland made claims to the third Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) scheme to a total value of £373m.

Responding to the statistics, Jamie Hepburn, business minister, said: “The number of furloughed jobs in Scotland rose by just over a quarter between December and January, showing the continued impact of the pandemic on Scotland’s workforce. I am again urging the UK Government to step up and commit to extending furlough past April - to provide vital reassurance for employers and employees alike.

“We are doing all we can to protect Scotland’s economy and to ensure that as many people as possible keep their jobs. Our package of support to businesses now totals over £3 billion, and our support for economic recovery is worth more than £1bn.

“On top of this we have extended non-domestic rates relief for the whole of next year - worth more than £700 million to businesses - and we will ensure support continues to be available as we emerge from lockdown.”

He added: “Stability and certainty for businesses and job creation is a priority of our Scottish Budget 2021-22. Through an investment of over £1bn in jobs, training and skills this coming year, it will promote sustainable growth and drive economic recovery in Scotland.”