New analysis estimates that 8087 people are still furloughed by their employer in Cambridge and Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner is calling for a plan to ensure these jobs don’t fall off an economic cliff-edge.

The furlough scheme is set to expire at the end of April and Daniel Zeichner MP is calling for the Chancellor not to repeat the mistakes of last year with a one-size-fits-all wind down.

Instead, Labour is calling for the Government to immediately announce an extension to the furlough scheme, to remove uncertainty for local businesses and workers. They are also calling for urgent reform to make furlough smarter, with new training to help furloughed workers improve their skills and tough conditions on employers to stop abuse.

Daniel Zeichner MP said:

“We need urgent action to secure, recover and create jobs to help Cambridge people. The whole idea of the “jobs retention scheme” was to retain jobs, but a furlough cliff edge won’t help in that quest. People can’t afford to wait for the Chancellor to get his act together. They need emergency action today, not more dither and delay until the Budget.”