The number of people on furlough in south Essex has fallen, according to the latest figures.

Companies are now required to pay some wages of workers placed on the scheme, which was set up last year to prevent mass unemployment following the outbreak of coronavirus.

The latest figures show 1.6 million UK workers were still on furlough at the end of July.

Think tank the Resolution Foundation expects "a significant number" to lose their jobs when the Government programme ends this month.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the latest figure – a 340,000 reduction from June 30 and the lowest since the start of the pandemic – was a sign of the country getting back to business.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs for parts of south Essex.

Basildon

4,300 jobs held by workers living in Basildon were furloughed as of July 31 – 5% of all that were eligible.

That was 800 fewer than the 5,100 furloughed at the end of June.

It was also down by two-thirds compared to the 12,800 on the scheme during the 2021 peak in January.

An age breakdown for those on furlough across local authority areas has also been published for the first time.

In Basildon, people aged between 35 and 39 made up the highest proportion of those on furlough with 520 (12%) on the scheme.

Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over accounted for the smallest proportion – 230 (5%).

Southend

4,100 jobs held by workers living in Southend were furloughed as of July 31 – 6% of all that were eligible.

That was 800 fewer than the 4,900 furloughed at the end of June.

It was also down by two-thirds compared to the 12,500 on the scheme during the 2021 peak in January.

An age breakdown for those on furlough across local authority areas has also been published for the first time.

In Southend, people aged between 35 and 39 made up the highest proportion of those on furlough with 510 (12%) on the scheme.

Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over accounted for the smallest proportion – 300 (7%).

Castle Point

2,100 jobs held by workers living in Castle Point were furloughed as of July 31 – 6% of all that were eligible.

That was 400 fewer than the 2,500 furloughed at the end of June.

It was also down by two-thirds compared to the 6,100 on the scheme during the 2021 peak in January.

An age breakdown for those on furlough across local authority areas has also been published for the first time.

In Castle Point, people aged between 50 and 54 made up the highest proportion of those on furlough with 260 (13%) on the scheme.

Meanwhile, people aged between 25 and 29 accounted for the smallest proportion – 160 (8%).

Thurrock

4,600 jobs held by workers living in Thurrock were furloughed as of July 31 – 6% of all that were eligible.

That was 700 fewer than the 5,300 furloughed at the end of June.

It was also down by two-thirds compared to the 13,500 on the scheme during the 2021 peak in January.

An age breakdown for those on furlough across local authority areas has also been published for the first time.

In Thurrock, people aged between 35 and 39 made up the highest proportion of those on furlough with 710 (16%) on the scheme.

Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over accounted for the smallest proportion – 170 (4%).

July was the first month that employers had to pay 10% of the salaries of their furloughed workers, giving them an incentive to bring staff back, or end their employment.

Employer contributions rose to 20% in August and September, and the scheme is due to finish at the end of this month.

HMRC said the furlough scheme had protected nearly 12 million jobs since it began 18 months ago.