According to the BBC, following a Freedom of Information request, around 1,700 British employers planned to make redundancies in September this year.
These redundancies were considered in line with the second wave of the coronavirus, as an increase in Government restrictions and obligations has taken its toll on people’s jobs.  
September’s total of planned terminations is close to a record level of redundancies during June and July 2020, which saw 1,734 employers notifying the Government with plans to cut 20 or more roles. These were the highest levels of redundancies since 2006, the earliest year in which these figures were published.
Several well-known large businesses, such as Lloyds Bank, Shell, Virgin Atlantic and Whitbread (Premier Inn’s owner) were amongst businesses who announced staff cuts.
In September, 82,000 employees received notification that their roles were at risk – which is three times more than September 2019. However, this number is less than in the summer of 2020.
Due to the second wave, which is worsening the economic climate, many firms who were intending to bring back furloughed employees can no longer do so. 
With the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) ending on 31 October 2020, Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed a new Job Support Scheme (JSS) to support employees and businesses in the areas most affected by the new local government-enforced restrictions.
JSS Open will be available for businesses who have been adversely affected by the pandemic and are facing decreases in demand due to the restrictions. JSS Closed is for organisations that have had to legally close, due to Coronavirus regulations. 
Tony Wilson, director of the Institute for Employment Studies, states that “If the new job support scheme goes down well, we might see some of these redundancies not being completed. 
“But if employers don’t take it up, we might see another uptick in October.”
For more information or advice on matters relating to the Job Support Scheme, contact our expert team today.