We’ve noticed a real increase in claims from employers recently, and we’re not the only ones. HMCTS has just published the minutes from the October 2025 Employment Tribunal National User Group meeting, and the numbers speak for themselves:

• Receipts are at the highest post-pandemic levels, with 52,000 outstanding single claims.
• Some regions are listing the longer hearings into 2028–2029, given current volume and backlogs.
• Acas early conciliation requests are up 26%, especially for discrimination claims.

Why the surge? 

We speculate whether this may be in part linked to the Employment Rights Bill (now the Employment Rights Act 2025). Even though this has only just received Royal Assent, in the months that have led up to it since the election in July 2024, it has received a lot of media coverage. Has that coverage given workers more confidence to bring claims, even before the changes kick in? It is hard to know. 

Are you seeing the same trend? How are you preparing for 2026?

Our team specialises in defending Employment Tribunal claims with a focus on our key sectors and our keen understanding of them. We offer Mock Employment Tribunal training, which is a great way for HR teams and managers to experience what a hearing looks like before the real thing. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact me.