Figures issued today by the Government of Jersey shows that at its peak, around one-third of Jersey’s workforce benefitted from the £81 million paid through the Co-Funded Payroll Schemes (CFPS) between and March and August 2020.
Phase 1 of the CFPS was launched for those businesses which had been severely affected by the public health restrictions introduced in March 2020. Phase 2 of the scheme, for claims from April to August 2020, supported local businesses and the self-employed most affected by the Stay at Home instruction.
The figures, published by the Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Susie Pinel, demonstrate that:
- £80,981,348 was paid out to businesses and the self-employed between March and August 2020
- at its peak in April 2020, 16,481 employees received payments through claims made by 3,649 businesses
- the largest pay out across all sectors, of £21.5 million, was made in April 2020
- over the six months, a quarter of the jobs supported were in the hospitality sector and a fifth were in construction
The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Susie Pinel, said: “This data demonstrates the scale of the challenges that businesses and employees faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We acted swiftly to put the first Co-Funded Payroll Scheme in place, to provide a lifeline to workers and businesses as the pandemic took hold. We also updated and broadened the second phase of the scheme as the pandemic continued to affect employees.
“When we launched the schemes, we also undertook to be transparent in reporting on the support we provided, and that is why we are making this information public.”
The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said: “The Co-funded Payroll Scheme has been at the centre of our package of business support measures from the beginning of the pandemic and has proved essential in protecting the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of islanders throughout this period.
“The current business support schemes are under constant review and we will ensure that we continue to protect jobs and support businesses as long as necessary.”
Government of Jersey News Release.