The UK government today launched a Job Entry Targeted Support scheme aimed at helping people who lost their jobs to the pandemic re-enter the workforce. The scheme budgets £238 million (US$307 million) to target job seekers who have been out of work for at least three months, providing them with specialist advice on moving into growing sectors as well as coaching on their CVs and interviews.

Currently, the scheme is open in only parts of the country, including counties in the northeast, northwest, and south. It will be extended to central regions in October, and to Scotland by early 2021. Estimates from the Department of Work and Pensions suggest that it could help up to 250,000 people find employment, including approximately 13,500 coaches who will be recruited to help implement the program.

The new scheme is expected to offset a predicted jump in the unemployment rate when existing subsidies for keeping workers on furlough expire at the end of October. At the scheme's launch, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the scheme will provide "fresh opportunities to those that have sadly lost their jobs", although he also emphasized that the government cannot save every job.

The growing sectors that job seekers may be steered towards include technology and green energy. In his speech, Sunak highlighted sustainable energy retailer Octopus Energy, which is planning to open up 1,000 new technology jobs across the country as part of its ongoing push into the UK market. Other companies which have committed to job creation include telecommunications multinationals Liberty Global and Telefónica, which have announced plans to create 4,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships to accelerate 5G implementation.