Age discrimination tribunals have become more common than cases involving race discrimination, figures have shown.
Some 6,800 age claims were lodged in 2010-11, compared with 5,200 in the previous year and just 3,800 in 2008-9.
There were 5,000 tribunal cases involving race discrimination during the year to the end of March, according to data from the Tribunals Service.
Sex discrimination remains the most common tribunal claim, with 18,300 cases lodged during 2010-11.
However, the overall number of employment tribunals has fallen to 218,100, a drop of 8% from 2009-10. Despite this, the number of cases was still 44% higher than in 2008-9.
The figures also indicate that the Tribunal Service is facing a growing backlog of claims, although the government is planning an overhaul of the system to remedy this problem.
Current proposals include witness statements being taken ‘as read’ in hearings and employment judges hearing some cases alone, in order to speed up the process.
Copyright © Press Association 2011
