ALMOST a third of eligible jobs in Tendring have been covered by the Government’s furlough scheme, the latest figures reveal.

Data from HM Revenue and Customs shows about 17,200 claims to furlough jobs were made in the district by the end of June.

That was 2,300 more than at the end of May, and means 32 per cent of eligible jobs had been furloughed.

Under the job retention scheme, launched by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March, the Government pays 80 per cent of employees’ wages, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month per employee.

But the Trades Union Congress has now called on leaders to provide more support for businesses to “stem the tide of redundancies” when the scheme ends in October.

General secretary Frances O’Grady added: “Mass unemployment is the biggest threat facing the UK.

“Struggling businesses need more than a one-off job retention bonus to survive in the long run.

“The more people we have in decent work, the faster we can move out of recession.”

Across the UK 9.4 million employments had been placed on furlough by the end of June, costing £26.5 billion.

The scheme will be scaled back in August, when firms start making contributions to the costs, and will close in October.

Mr Sunak recently announced that employers will receive a one-off bonus of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who is still employed by January 31 next year.

However, the TUC warned it “falls short” of what is needed to prevent job losses.

A report from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK’s spending watchdog, predicts that 1.3 million furloughed workers across the country may lose their jobs once the scheme ends.

Furthermore, different figures show about 6,100 people in Tendring had applied to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme by the end of June.

From May 13, eligible self-employed workers could claim a grant worth 80 per cent of their average monthly profits for a three-month period, limited to £7,500.

Claims made by people in Tendring amounted to £18.3 million, or £3,000 per person on average, with 76 per cent of those thought to be eligible in the area having asked for support.

Self-employed workers can claim a second and final grant in August, lowered to 70 per cent of profits and capped at £6,570.

In Colchester nearly three in ten jobs were covered by the furlough scheme and around 25,400 claims to furlough jobs were made in the area by the end of June.

By the end of June, about 7,600 people in Colchester had applied to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

Claims made by people in Colchester amounted to £24.2 million, or £3,200 per person on average, with 77 per cent of those thought to be eligible in the area having asked for support.

Andy Chamberlain, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed director of policy, said: “While the Chancellor has announced a measured and sensible end to the employee furlough scheme in October, freelancers are left to face a cliff-edge in August.”