The employment tribunal quarterly statistics for the period from April to June 2020 have been published by the Ministry of Justice.
Single claim receipts and caseload outstanding rose by 18% and 31% respectively in this period, while disposals decreased by 21% to 4,496 compared to the same period in 2019. Multiple claim receipts and disposals dropped by 43% and 47% respectively, while outstanding caseload increased by 6%.
Annual compensation and costs awards figures have also been published for the employment tribunals and the EAT. A total of 160 discrimination cases were awarded compensation in 2019/20. The highest award, amounting to nearly £266,000 was for disability discrimination, while age discrimination cases received the largest mean average award (£39,000) compared to other discrimination jurisdictions. Unfair dismissal mean average awards decreased to £10,812 from £13,704 in the previous annual figures.
The Ministry of Justice commented that the increase in single claim receipts was likely to be due to rising levels of unemployment and changes to working conditions during the pandemic. It noted that this was "the highest level of single employment tribunal claims since 2012/13". Caseload outstanding has surpassed its peak levels recorded in 2009/10.
