The number of single UK employment tribunal claims as of June 2026 has soared to over 70,000, the highest on record, with hearings now being listed for the end of 2029. This surge in claim numbers is overwhelming an already strained tribunal system and resulting in an unprecedented backlog of access.

Quick Hits

• The average UK employment tribunal claim now takes nearly sixty weeks from receipt to disposal, with some hearings listed for 2029.
• Explosion of AI useage is likely a key factor.
• Even though hearings may be delayed for a year or more, employers may want to gather and preserve key documents and other evidence up front.

The AI Effect

Many commentators in the United Kingdom cite the recent widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a key reason for the escalation in claims. AI can give employees confidence to pursue claims believing that they effectively have a free lawyer, with an encyclopedic knowledge of employment law at their side. In reality AI-generated complaints and claims tend to provide false hope to employees due to AI’s natural bias towards the user, and the fact it has only been fed one side’s version of events, which may omit key facts favourable to the employer. We explore this further in our article, “In an AI World, Is It Time to Impose World Limits on Employee Complaints?’.

Government initiatives are being considered to increase judicial capacity through:

• increasing sitting day allocations;
• operating virtual, remote hearings;
• recruitment...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihwFBVV95cUxNSDRvc0h1OEZuWXQ3RGp4c1dV...