Thursday newspaper round-up: HMRC, hospitality industry, flexible working
Almost 2 million people in Britain have not worked for more than six months during the coronavirus pandemic, amid growing risk to workers from long-term economic damage caused by the crisis. The Resolution Foundation said up to 1.9 million people in January had either been out of a job or on full furlough for more than six months, revealing the lasting impact on employment caused by Covid and multiple lockdowns. - Guardian
A group of MPs has accused HM Revenue & Customs of “misleading” a parliamentary committee, and possibly breaking the civil service code, by withholding “embarrassing” information about how it had engaged at least 15 contractors who used tax avoidance schemes while working for the tax agency. In a report on Wednesday, the all-party group of MPs and peers claimed that HMRC had put the management of its reputation “ahead of telling the truth”. - Guardian
All pubs, restaurants and hotels must be allowed to reopen from April with life for the hospitality industry returning to normal by June, the sector's bosses have told the Prime Minister. Trade group UK Hospitality is calling for a radical overhaul of the tier system used before lockdown in a bid to prevent mass job losses and allow businesses to restart as soon as possible. - Telegraph
Half of employees say that they would look for a new job if their bosses do not allow flexible working after lockdown. A survey of 2,000 randomly selected workers found that 49 per cent would try to change jobs after the pandemic if they could not work in their preferred location. Two thirds of workers said that they wanted to switch to a combination of home and office working, when it was safe to do so. Many cited the time saved on commuting and an improved work-life balance. - Telegraph