Understanding Society launched a new Covid-19 survey in April 2020 in addition to our annual survey, collecting new data over 9 waves till September 2021. Together these data are providing valuable analysis on how different groups in society have been affected by the pandemic and how they have responded, particularly given that their circumstances, vulnerabilities, assets and challenges were vastly different. Some inequalities have narrowed, others widened, and some are unclear given the ongoing effects of the pandemic – which have also become entangled with the effects of Brexit.
Revealing detailed analysis on the pandemic, the Insights 2022 Report is being launched alongside a programme of policy events, focusing on three topics:
- The mental health ‘legacy’ of Covid19
- Did furlough help and protect?
- Children in the pandemic
DID FURLOUGH HELP AND PROTECT?
The introduction of ‘furlough schemes’ during the pandemic, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), has been one of the biggest innovations in UK policy – although short-time work schemes are common in Europe. Combined with the stabilising effects of tax and benefits, they proved vital in safeguarding jobs. But they also placed a heavy burden on public finances – by mid-September 2021 claims made on the CJRS scheme by employers amounted to £69.3 billion (HMRC). How should the legacy of furlough schemes be assessed? Beyond safeguarding jobs and partial incomes, what have been the financial and health effects of the scheme? With wide variations in which employees were put on furlough and their circumstances, how has the scheme affected different groups? This event will discuss what we are learning about the experience of furlough.
09.30 – 09.35 Welcome and Introductions
Chair: Raj Patel, Associate Director of Policy, Understanding Society
09.35 – 09.55 Furlough and household financial distress
Christoph Görtz, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham (and co-lead on the Macroeconomics and Finance Research Group)
09.55 – 10.15 Economic security, furlough and mental distress
Isabel Taylor, Research Director (Analyst), NatCen
10.15 – 10.30 Policy reflections
Kate Shoesmith, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Recruitment and Employment Federation
10.30 – 10.55 Q and A – led by Chair
10.55 – 11.00 Summary and Close – Chair
