Government Announces £500m Expansion of Plan for Jobs

Owing to the fragility of the economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, a multi-million package of support is being provided to help working age adults secure employment and training.

The Government has announced an additional £500 million of funding to shore up the labour market as the country continues its post-pandemic recovery.

The expansion of the Chancellor’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ is intended to support hundreds of thousands of people into work, including those leaving the Coronavirus Job Retention ‘furlough’ scheme and unemployed over 50s. Those on the lowest wages will also be helped to progress their careers, and existing schemes targeting young people will be extended into next year.

More young people aged 16-24 and on Universal Credit will be able to benefit from the Kickstart Scheme, which is being extended to March 2022 and will be open to applications from employers and gateways until 17 December 2021. This extension is expected to support more young people on their path to long-term, sustainable employment.

The Government is also extending the Employer Apprenticeship Incentive Scheme which provides a £3,000 payment for every apprentice a business in England hires, until 31 January 2022.

Further measures and supplementary support are to be confirmed at the Spending Review on 27 October 2021.