Employment Tribunal claims in three months to September 2020 at highest level since 2013/2014

Ministry of Justice attributes increase in single claims, alongside highest ever outstanding caseload, to impact of COVID-19 on economy and 'unique challenges' on court resources

Employment Tribunal claims in the three months to September 2020 were at the highest level since 2013/2014, according to new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics.

In Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, July to September 2020, the MoJ provides tribunal statistics, including for the Employment Tribunal (ET) and the ET fee refund scheme, for the second quarter of 2020/2021.

Key figures relating to single ET claims include that -

• receipts increased by 13 per cent to 11,000 when compared to the same period in 2019, most likely, the MoJ says, due to the rise in unemployment and changes to working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• disposals decreased by 7 per cent to 5,700 when compared to the same quarter in 2019;
• the mean age of cases that were disposed of during the quarter was 39 weeks, five weeks more than the same quarter in 2019; and
• the outstanding caseload rose by 22 per cent to 40,000, continuing to rise having passed the peak levels seen in 2009/2010 (when it was 36,000 in quarter two of that year).

Commenting on the statistics, the MoJ says -

'The combination of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and unique challenges on court resources has led to the highest level of single ET claims since 2013/2014, alongside an increase in the outstanding caseload. This rise in Employment receipts is likely to continue as the economy has faced a severe shock following the impact of COVID-19 and could be further accelerated when the furlough scheme ends.'

For more information, see Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, July to September 2020 from gov.uk