Press Kit: The State of UK Employment 2026
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Each figure is drawn from an official UK source. Copy the line and the attribution that goes with it.
The average successful sex discrimination award in 2023/24 was £53,403, nearly three times the ~£18,000 most guides quote. Discrimination awards are uncapped.
Source: Ministry of Justice Tribunals Statistics, 2023/24
The single largest employment tribunal award in 2023/24 reached around £995,000.
Source: Ministry of Justice Tribunals Statistics, 2023/24
There were 95,900 employment tribunal claims in 2023/24, up 11.6% year on year.
Source: Ministry of Justice Tribunals Statistics, 2023/24
76% of employment tribunal claims settle before a hearing.
Source: ACAS Early Conciliation Statistics 2023/24
1.23 million UK workers were on zero hours contracts in Oct to Dec 2025, a record high.
Source: ONS EMP17 People in employment on zero hours contracts, February 2026 release
32.2% of the accommodation and food services (hospitality) workforce is on zero hours contracts, the highest of any sector.
Source: ONS EMP17 People in employment on zero hours contracts, February 2026 release
Zero hours numbers rose during the 2020 pandemic, from 896,000 in 2019 to 1,068,000 in 2020, rather than falling as commonly assumed.
Source: ONS EMP17 People in employment on zero hours contracts
The Employment Rights Act 2025 rolls out the biggest set of employment law changes in a generation between April 2026 and 2027, including SSP from day one, the right to guaranteed hours, fire and rehire restrictions and day-one unfair dismissal rights.
Source: GOV.UK Employment Rights Act 2025 implementation roadmap and ACAS guidance
Downloadable stat cards
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£53,403
Average sex discrimination award
The average successful sex discrimination award, nearly three times what most guides quote. Discrimination awards are uncapped.
Download image1.23m
Workers on zero hours contracts
UK workers on zero hours contracts in Oct to Dec 2025, a record high, just as the right to guaranteed hours arrives in autumn 2026.
Download image95,900
Employment tribunal claims
Employment tribunal claims in 2023/24, up 11.6% year on year. 76% settled before a hearing.
Download image32.2%
Of hospitality workers on zero hours
Share of the accommodation and food services workforce on zero hours contracts, in a category of its own.
Download imageCite this research
EmployerKit (2026) The State of UK Employment 2026. Available at: https://employerkit.com/state-of-uk-employment-2026 (Accessed: 8 June 2026).
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<iframe src="https://employerkit.com/state-of-uk-employment-2026/embed" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;border-radius:12px" title="The State of UK Employment 2026 by EmployerKit" loading="lazy"></iframe>
Methodology
All figures are drawn from official UK sources and shown with their dataset and year. Tribunal claims and awards come from the Ministry of Justice Tribunals Statistics (2023/24 and the Q1 2024/25 bulletin): 95,900 claims, an average sex discrimination award of £53,403, and a maximum award of around £995,000. The 76% settlement rate is from ACAS Early Conciliation Statistics 2023/24. Zero hours figures are from ONS EMP17 (February 2026 release): 1.23 million workers, a record high for Oct to Dec 2025. The Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline follows the GOV.UK implementation roadmap and ACAS guidance.
The tribunal risk calculator is an estimate: it scales published sector claim rates to your headcount and contract mix and applies a blended cost per claim derived from MoJ award data and ACAS settlement rates. It is a planning aid, not legal advice. Some sector-level zero hours figures beyond hospitality and health are ONS EMP17 estimates not separately verified from public summaries, and are marked as such in the tool.
Author and contact
Analysis by Rees Calder, EmployerKit. Rees is available for comment, background and interviews on UK employment law and the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Contact: hello@employerkit.com