Unemployment fears as third of shielding staff 'uncomfortable' over workplace return
Video report by ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen
Thousands of jobs could be lost because employees shielding from the coronavirus do not feel safe to return to their workplace, charities have warned.
Vulnerable staff have "grave concerns" that they will be forced to risk their health by returning to workplaces which will not fully protect them from Covid-19.
Eleven charities are calling on the government to introduce a furlough-style scheme for shielding and high-risk workers to avoid job losses.
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This would apply to people deemed by a clinician to be medically vulnerable and unable to return to their workplace safely.
Around 623,000 clinically extremely vulnerable people were working before receiving shielding guidance from the government to protect themselves during the strictest lockdown measures.
This advice was ended on August 1 while the government's Job Retention Scheme is due to end on October 31.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows one in three (32%) shielding workers is "not at all comfortable" with working outside their home.
The ONS estimates that 48,000 shielders are set to return to work over the next four months.
It also estimates that nearly three times this number do not know what their work plans will be over this period.
The ONS suggests 38,000 shielding workers will not return to their employment.
Age UK said there is "significant worry" that thousands of workers will be forced to choose between their job and their health.
One in seven workers with lung conditions said they will refuse to return to work even if it costs them their jobs, according to recent research by Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation.
The charities are also worried that employers will be expected to foot the bill for supporting their higher-risk staff amid the recession.
They are calling for the government to meet these costs.
If Number 10 cannot support businesses to keep their shielding workforce at home, it should help them ensure their workplaces are "Covid-secure", they say.
A government spokesman said: "We know it has been a challenging time for people shielding and their families, and we have been doing everything we can to support them throughout this pandemic.
"Shielding for the clinically extremely vulnerable has been paused since the start of August in most of the country as average rates of coronavirus remain sufficiently low.
"Staff and employers must carefully discuss options around returning to the workplace, and employers are responsible for ensuring all their workers – including those who have been shielding – feel safe in doing so.
"It is important our response remains proportionate, and shielding is still advised in specific areas of the country where prevalence of the virus is higher."