The Ministry of Justice has released its quarterly report on employment tribunal (ET) statistics, covering January–March 2026.
The data shows that during the period of January–March 2026, 52,400 new ET cases, including both single and multiple claims, were filed. The overall open caseload of live ET claims has increased by 1.5% to 531,000 from the previous quarter and the current open caseload for single claims has increased by 55% compared to the same quarter in 2024/25.
Highlights of the data include:
- TUPE claims have seen the fastest growth, with a 227% year-on-year increase, followed by National Minimum Wage at 122% and whistleblowing up 112%
- disability discrimination claims are up 79% year-on-year, making up 16% of all claims
- unfair dismissal makes up 23% of all claims; 51% of new claims filed included a claim for unfair dismissal
- unauthorised deduction of wages claims make up 13% of all claims.
The pressure on the tribunal system is higher than it has ever been before and this is likely to only increase as the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025) come into force, such as the reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months (effective 1 January 2027). In its own assessment of the impact of the ERA 2025, the Government estimated that claims could increase by around 17% following the introduction of these reforms. This, on top of an already struggling system, is likely to lead to lengthy delays in proceedings.
