People Times - Insights

UK job postings down 11% in H1 2026

Tony Rock — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:10:12 GMT

UK job postings fell 11% in the first half of 2026 and stood 32% below their pre-pandemic baseline as of mid-July, according to Indeed's Mid-Year UK Labour Market Update.

Acas consults on new disciplinary and grievance code

Tony Rock — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:56:18 GMT

Workplace conciliation service Acas has launched a public consultation on an updated code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, aimed at encouraging employers and workers to resolve workplace concerns early and informally rather than through formal processes.

Business Disability Forum launches new neurodiversity guidance

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:45:52 GMT

The Business Disability Forum (BDF) has launched new guidance to provide practical advice to employers on how to support neurodivergent colleagues in the workplace.

Burnham urges rethink of virtual interviews and AI screening for young candidates

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on employers to reconsider their use of virtual job interviews and AI-powered CV screening, warning that both practices risk disadvantaging young candidates trying to enter the workforce.

Fire-and-rehire restrictions to take effect this October

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:02:02 GMT

Employers who dismiss and re-engage staff on worse terms — a practice known as "fire and rehire" — will find the tactic automatically unfair in most cases from October 2026, under provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 confirmed by multiple employment law firms and the UK government.

Unfair dismissal overhaul confirmed for January 2027

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:40:49 GMT

The UK government has confirmed that from 1 January 2027, the qualifying period an employee must serve before gaining protection from unfair dismissal will fall from two years to six months, while the statutory cap on compensatory awards — currently the lower of 52 weeks' gross pay or £123,543 — will be abolished, according to government guidance and multiple employment law firms.

The reforms form part of the Employment Rights Act 2025. They were originally proposed as a day-one right accompanied by a nine-month "light touch" process for dismissing new hires during a statutory probationary period. That approach was dropped during the Bill's passage through the House of Lords. The government instead agreed a straightforward six-month qualifying period, with no separate lighter-touch dismissal procedure retained in the final Act.

Employees who are already employed on or before 1 July 2026 will have accrued the necessary six months' service by the time the changes take effect on 1 January 2027, meaning they gain protection immediately from that date.

Once the cap is removed, tribunals will calculate compensation based on the employee's actual financial loss, bringing unfair dismissal awards into line with the uncapped approach already used for discrimination and whistleblowing claims.

Law firm Mishcon de Reya has cited government estimates that the shorter qualifying period alone could generate around 9,000 additional Acas early conciliation cases and 3,000 additional employment tribunal claims per year, making it the largest projected driver of increased tribunal caseload among the Act's reforms.

Separately, the qualifying period for an employee's right to request written reasons for dismissal will also reduce to six months, and the existing qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims relating to spent convictions will be removed entirely.

The government has said it will not hold further public consultation on the unfair dismissal changes before they come into force.

Half of firms could lose top AI staff by 2027, says Gartner

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:48:47 GMT

Research firm Gartner warned on 13 May 2026 that by 2027, half of companies without a clear plan for supporting staff through AI adoption will lose their best AI-skilled employees to rivals who do it better. The warning is based on Gartner's Global Labour Market Survey, carried out in the first quarter of 2026, which questioned 12,004 employees and managers in 40 countries about how AI is changing their working lives.

CIPD announces next chief executive

Tony Rock — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:48:13 GMT

The CIPD has announced the appointment of Neil Carberry as its next chief executive. He will take up the role on 28 September 2026.

Goldman Sachs ordered to pay £1.45m to former exec

Tony Rock — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

A former Goldman Sachs executive has been awarded £1.45 million by an employment tribunal after it found he was unfairly dismissed and directly discriminated against because of his sex after taking extended parental leave.

Remote worker wins disability discrimination claim after being refused camera-off adjustment

Tony Rock — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

A remote-working employee has won a disability discrimination claim after an employment tribunal found Holiday Extras failed to make a reasonable adjustment when she was required to appear on camera during an online training session.