Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness February 17, 2026 National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
Jobs figures show Labour has abandoned growth February 16, 2026 A staggering 37 per cent of businesses surveyed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said they planned to reduce hiring permanent staff as a result of the Employment Rights Act, says Callum Price If we believe that a government is what it does, not what it says, it would be difficult to argue that this government has even a passing interest [...]
Employment Rights Act set to stall hiring, says report February 16, 2026 The government’s new package of employment rights will put a brake on hiring, according to a new report, as businesses worry about the possible risks and costs. More than a third (37 per cent) of businesses surveyed by the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) plan to reduce hiring permanent staff as a [...]
Government concedes workers’ rights overhaul will spark surge in tribunal claims January 8, 2026 The government’s flagship workers’ rights overhaul will spark a 17 per cent surge in employment tribunal cases, according to an official government analysis that claims the radical employment shake-up should reduce joblessness and boost growth. In a paper released on Wednesday, civil servants warned that measures in the act – including bolstering employees’ rights from [...]