Covid 19: Jobs update for Norwich North

The furlough and self-employment schemes have been a lifeline for millions of people and businesses.

 

New figures released recently showed that here in Norwich North, 11,300 jobs have been protected through the furlough scheme. There are also 3,500 self-employed people benefitting from £10.6m of support in our constituency.

 

All this gives us the best chance of recovering quickly as the economy reopens.

 

These schemes will adjust to ensure those who are able to work can do so. 

In June and July, nothing will change for employers and the Government will continue to pay 80 per cent of people’s salaries.  From August, the level of the grant will be slowly reduced and employers will be required to top up the government payment to ensure employees receive 80 per cent of their normal pay, up to a monthly cap of £2,500, throughout. 

These are important steps to getting back to normal.

Across East Anglia, almost a million people are benefitting from the Chancellor’s world-leading economic support. 

There was also some good news on pay. Although the statistics released cover the period before the Coronavirus lockdown, median pay for employees grew by 2.2% in our region, the highest rate in the country.

 

Between December 2019 and March 2020 the East of England also had the largest estimated increase in workforce jobs.

 

This continued a strong trend and put us in a better position than we would have been when measures were introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

 

We also had new unemployment figures. While unemployment in Norwich North has risen due to the impact of the pandemic, to 6.2%, this is below average for the wider country, where the rate was 6.4%.

 

It is fantastic that non-essential shops have now re-opened, providing a lifeline for businesses. 

I have supported the EDP’s “love local” campaign, because in Norwich and nearby we have wonderful shops and a time like this we all want to put back into our own community.

Buying locally particularly supports those small shops that will have had a tough time. Sometimes it can even mean the difference between more people having jobs or not.

Shops that re-open will be following "Covid-secure" guidelines. The latest figures for our region show that the growth rate for coronavirus is falling by between -6% to -1% daily. This means we should all shop with confidence.

 

This is a hugely challenging time for people and businesses, but these unprecedented schemes have helped to protect the livelihoods of thousands of people in Norwich North.