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<p>Overall levels of support have been generous by international standards, including
compared to countries like Germany and France, or Ireland where eligibility criteria
means many companies don’t even qualify for support.</p><p> </p><p>The government
has always been clear that paying 80% of normal pay through CJRS, supporting 9.6 million
jobs at a level far higher than almost anywhere in the world, is simply not sustainable.</p><p>
</p><p>The new Job Support Scheme (JSS) will support businesses that need it most;
protecting jobs in businesses facing lower demand over the winter due to Covid-19
and helping them prepare for recovery. Where the Government has had to go further
on health restrictions and close business premises in some areas, the Job Support
Scheme is being expanded to protect jobs and help businesses reopen more quickly once
those restrictions are lifted. The scheme will cover businesses that are legally required
to close their premises as a direct result of Coronavirus restrictions set by one
or more of the four governments in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>For low income households,
Universal Credit provides further income protection. A working household on the Universal
Credit taper will see their UC award increase by 63p for every £1 they lose in earnings
(and for those households that also pay income tax and NICs, the impact on their overall
income will be even smaller).</p><p> </p><p>Companies can of course top up employees’
wages, and the JSS forms just one part of a wider package of government support for
individuals, including rental support, mortgage holidays, and extra funding for the
welfare safety net.</p>
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