'Get the basics right' | Employment tribunal backlog tops 530,000 as unfair dismissal & disability claims surge

Employment tribunal claims continued to climb in the first three months of 2026, with a growing backlog of cases and sharp increases in claims involving unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and whistleblowing.

New Ministry of Justice statistics show there were 52,400 new employment tribunal claims lodged between January and March 2026, while the number of open claims reached 531,000 by the end of the quarter.

The figures highlight the mounting pressure facing the tribunal system, with receipts continuing to outpace disposals and waiting times increasing across a number of jurisdictions. According to the quarterly tribunal statistics, employment tribunals received 22,000 claims during the quarter, while disposing of just 11,000.

Unfair dismissal remains dominant claim type

The data shows unfair dismissal remains the most common tribunal subject. More than half (51%) of all new claims included an unfair dismissal complaint, while unfair dismissal accounted for 23% of all jurisdictional complaints received during the quarter.