Law Society: Employment tribunal backlog continues to spiral

New figures show that employment tribunal backlogs continue to grow, resulting in long delays that are denying both employees and businesses access to justice.

At the end of March this year, there were 491,000 open cases compared to 444,000 cases in March 2023, resulting in an increase of 11%, with the backlog steadily rising month after month.*

“It is alarming to see the employment tribunal backlogs continue to spiral,” said Law Society of England and Wales president Richard Atkinson.

“Prolonged periods of uncertainty as cases are waiting to be heard is likely to take a high toll personally and financially, hitting both individuals and businesses hard.

“Employment tribunal cases decide serious matters from unfair dismissal, unpaid wages and redundancy claims to whistleblowing, harassment and unlawful discrimination.

 “As the Employment Bill goes through Parliament, the government must ensure that employment tribunals are properly funded and resourced to respond to an even bigger anticipated caseload increase. Swift justice is a vital public service, not a luxury.”

Notes to editors 

* See the latest employment tribunal statistics here.