By Rebecca Tester, immigration partner. The political debate over immigration in the UK is entering an interesting phase. Policy changes introduced by the previous government in early 2024, along with further changes under the current Labour government have significantly reduced net migration into the UK, which peaked at 944,000 in the year to March 2023, but had subsequently fallen to 171,000 by December 2025. We are expecting figures for 2026 to be even lower. Having alrea

From 30 October, the Employment Rights Act 2025 brings in new rules regarding employer liability for third party harassment which are coming into force at the end of the month. Constantine Law partner, Eliza Nash, commenting to The Times, considers that the changes are “an instance where limiting your legal liability, as an employer, also aligns with having a better working environment, improving staff retention and creating a place where people are happy to work”. 👉 Read t

Another month, another Prime Minister. As Andy Burnham starts to tackle his growing inbox, many employers may be wondering how he is going to square the circle of pursuing economic growth. The CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook for August reveals that employers remain cautious about recruiting staff, with only 62% planning to recruit over the next three months, suggesting that many investment plans are on hold while they adjust to their new obligations under the ERA 2025, compound

A version of this article first appeared in Personnel Today on 25 September 2026. The UK government is significantly expanding the Right to Work regime from 1 October 2026 and employers are advised to review their arrangements now to ensure compliance with the new rules. The most significant change is the extension of Right to Work checks beyond traditional employees. The new regime will apply to a broader range of working arrangements. This is an important development for bu

The FCA's new rules on non-financial misconduct, which came into force on 1 September 2026 expand those workplace allegations that can now become a career-ending regulatory problem. Allegations of bullying, harassment or violence can engage the FCA's Conduct Rules and fitness and propriety regime and the consequences of getting that assessment wrong can be profound. For non-bank SM&CR firms, the Conduct Rules now expressly extend to serious bullying, harassment and violence

One in eight 16 to 24-year-olds are now out of employment, education or training, according to statistics released by the ONS. That's just short of 1m young people classified as NEET. Jobs outlook While these figures, which account for the period from April to June 2026, are slightly lower than the figures from January to March (when 1,011,000 young people were NEET), they are 3% higher than the same period from last year. These statistics are framed against a highly competit

For many UK businesses, recruiting international talent has become a vital part of growth. But sponsoring overseas workers also comes with significant legal responsibilities, and those responsibilities are coming under far greater scrutiny than ever before. The Home Office has always maintained that holding a sponsor licence is a privilege rather than a right. What has changed is the level of enforcement. Employers are seeing more compliance activity, more requests for eviden

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 has introduced a new statutory right for individuals, including employees to complain directly to data controllers about alleged UK GDPR infringements. For employers and other data controllers, this is a significant practical compliance change, not merely a technical footnote. From 19 June 2026, privacy notices, DSAR templates and internal complaints processes will need to reflect this new change. Employers will have to be able to show that

Managing Redundancies and Related Immigration Issues in Challenging Times Changes introduced under the Employment Rights Act mean that redundancies are getting riskier. If incorrectly managed, employers could face more time-consuming, expensive and reputationally damaging claims. The current economic climate, coupled with the AI revolution, seems likely to lead to more redundancies as businesses look to reshape their workforce. In our upcoming webinar, “Managing redundancies