# The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Survey - Findings

## Introduction

As my colleague Sheghley [posted](https://scvo.scot/p/44242/2021/06/30/furlough-how-has-it-effected-your-organisation) at the end of June, SCVO wanted to learn more about the sector's use of the furlough scheme. In order to do so, we asked organisations to complete a short survey about their use of the scheme and any potential implications for their organisation if the scheme ended before the lifting of all restrictions. **[This is what we found out.](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-documents-evidence/0693z00000JRlnCAAT-Furlough_survey_report_July-2021.pdf)**

## Key Findings

The survey had 69 complete responses, while this response rate may not be large enough to draw any definitive or representative conclusions, it nonetheless contributes to our understanding of the impact of the pandemic on third sector organisations in Scotland. This blog and accompanying [research report](https://scvo.scot/policy/research/evidence-library/2021-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-survey-august-2021) have been produced to share the information that we were able to obtain and we will continue to monitor the situation and carry out further research if warranted.

It is reassuring that the respondents to the survey do not anticipate making significant numbers of staff redundant at the end of furlough, but it is disappointing to learn that almost 200 people across those 69 organisations have already lost their jobs.

Most organisations that placed staff on furlough did so because they were unable to deliver services or operate as normal. In total almost 1,200 members of staff from the 69 organisations have been on furlough at some point since March 2020 and 190 are still either fully or partially furloughed.

The data suggests that lower paid and female workers are more likely to have been (or still are) furloughed.

There is an anticipated negative impact on organisations finances (42%) and to a lesser extent on their ability to deliver core services or activities (25%) if furlough ends in September with restrictions still in place.

#### [You can find the full report in our Evidence Library.](https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-documents-evidence/0693z00000JRlnCAAT-Furlough_survey_report_July-2021.pdf)

## Get in touch

If you didn't have the time to complete the survey, or if the findings don't reflect your organisation's experience, please get in touch with me at [steve.grozier@scvo.scot](mailto:steve.grozier@scvo.scot)

---

## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)