'No firm is immune' | More employees are stealing from work as cost-of-living pressures mount

Employee theft has jumped by a fifth (19%) as the rising cost of living triggers a wave of workplace crime, new data suggests.

National figures reveal almost 6,000 workers were caught stealing from their employer in 2022, up from 5,000 the year before. This amounts to nearly 500 incidents every month.

The analysis was carried out by insurer Zurich UK based on Freedom of Information data from 43 police forces in England and Wales.

London’s Metropolitan Police saw the highest number of employee thefts, with 874 incidents last year, while the City of London saw the fewest, at 18. The biggest increase in thefts occurred in Lincolnshire, up from 40 to 71 incidents – a rise of 44%.