Resolution Foundation recommends three measures to the UK government:
- Boosting sick pay
- Helping struggling firms with their wage costs and
- Strengthening the social security safety net for those who fall out of employment
Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and Sweden are all countries that have recently put in place significant measures to help workers remain attached to firms in the face of a temporary loss of revenue.
UPDATE: In the UK Government 20 March briefing, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak asked companies to stand by its workers and announced a new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that will help pay wages for the first time in UK history (80 % of salary of workers, up to £2,500 per month). “It means that workers across the company can retain their jobs, even if their bosses can’t afford to pay them.”