ARTS groups urged the government today to extend the furlough scheme for the sector to prevent “significant” jobs losses.

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) said that the sector is continuing to struggle with only 29 per cent of workers having returned from furlough.

Fabian Wallace-Stephens, senior researcher at the RSA, said: “The return to work is encouraging news for the millions of workers in sectors like hospitality and construction.

“However, for some sectors such as the arts and entertainment, the numbers are worryingly low and may prove to be the warning signs of significant redundancies.

“The government needs to give continued, focused support for these sectors of the economy, linked to a clear recovery strategy.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given the go-ahead to delayed plans to resume socially distanced indoor performances in England from tomorrow.

The government had previously given the green light for performance spaces to welcome back audiences last month, however the move was delayed amid a rise in the prevalence of coronavirus in the community.

Welcoming the move, the Musicians’ Union said that it had come following intense lobbying from the union and other music-industry organisations.

MU general secretary Horace Trubridge said: “While this announcement is warmly welcomed by the union, we know that it won’t result in MU members being able to make a living again in the short to medium term. 

“The government’s £1.57bn for the arts, while a great investment in cultural organisations, will not filter down to the majority of musicians and creators.

“We still fear a huge talent exodus from the music industry which would be devastating and take years, if not decades, to claw back. 

“While many of our members' workplaces remain closed and organisations are operating at severely limited capacity, we need continued government support for our sector's workforce specifically.”

The union is calling on the governments of Britain, Scotland and Wales to extend the furlough and self-employment income-support scheme (SEISS) for workers in the arts and music who cannot fully return to work until social distancing ends.

It is also calling for income support for the 38 per cent of MU members who were ineligible for the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme and SEISS and for support to be backdated to March. 

The furlough scheme, which has sustained the jobs of millions of workers, is ending in October.