The Ministry of Justice's quarterly statistics for the period 1 July to 30 September 2020 show that the number of employment tribunal claims has risen to its highest level since 2013/2014.
During this time single claim receipts rose to 11,000 (a 13% increase compared to same quarter in 2019), while multiple claim receipts rose to 19,000 (a 24% increase compared to the same quarter in 2019). It is anticipated that the number of receipts will continue to rise (and possibly further accelerate when furlough ends). The current rise is due to a combination of the rising unemployment caused by the economic consequences of the pandemic, as well as the strain on employment tribunal resources due to social distancing guidelines.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in a sharp increase in the employment tribunal's backlog of cases. The statistics show that the 13% rise in single claim receipts was met with a 7% decrease in the disposals of such claims, which has resulted in a 22% increase in outstanding caseload and a mean age at disposal of 39 weeks, five weeks more than during the same quarter in 2019. Overall the employment tribunal disposed of 9,200 claims during July to September 2020, which is 39% down on the same period in 2019.
