On 20 March 2020 the UK government announced its Job Retention Scheme (JRS), which will run for an initial period of three months from 1 March 2020. It is expected to be operational by the end of April 2020. The JRS will allow businesses to place employees on furlough (temporary leave of absence) and reclaim 80% of their usual monthly wage costs from HMRC, subject to a cap of £2,500 per month.