Prepare for change in 2026
Heralded as the biggest shake-up of employment rights for a generation, the Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, becoming the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Running to 160 sections, plus 12 schedules, and with subsidiary legislation to follow, the Act certainly covers a lot of ground. Royal Assent is only the first step for many of the provisions becoming law, however. In November last year the Government announced that it would launch 26 consultation exercises in relation to key provisions of the Act, before these would be finally implemented.
While Government says that it remains committed to its implementation timetable, the consultation timetable has slipped and we are awaiting, for example, consultations on fire and rehire, zero hours contracts and collective redundancy consultation.
Many important provisions are in force, or will be shortly, and in this edition of To The Point we look at what is in force, and what will be coming into force soon, as well as considering steps that employers can and should take now to be fully prepared for the coming challenges the Act will present.
Editorial - by David Hughes
UK employment law changes in April 2026: Six things HR should know
The employment landscape is set to change in 2026 following enactment of the Employment Rights Act 2025. We look at the six key changes coming into force in April 2026.
Find out how businesses can prepare here.
Reform of non-compete clauses in UK employment contracts revisited
The government is looking at reforming non-compete clauses in employment contracts in the UK.
Read about the proposals here.
UK Business Immigration – Enforcement and reform: what to expect from UK business immigration in 2026
We expect to see the Government’s focus on compliance continue and the introduction of several significant changes to the UK immigration system during 2026.
Find out more here.
International Update - 2025 to 2026: Ireland’s Immigration Shift – What you need to know
We have seen significant changes to Irish immigration in 2025 which is set to continue into 2026.
We take a look at what it means for employers here.
Upcoming Events:
We are looking forward to our EU Pay Transparency Directive Webinar on 24 February 2026 which will provide essential insights and practical guidance on how to prepare your business for the forthcoming changes. This will be of interest to EU and multi-national UK employers wanting to ensure pay transparency uniformity across their organisation. For further details and to register, visit the registration page here.
Our Dublin team is holding their annual Ireland Employment and Immigration Training Day on 22 April 2026 at The Merrion Hotel, Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2. The team will be covering all the latest developments in employment law and business immigration with a special focus on the EU Pay Transparency Directive. For more information, please contact R.Montgomery@aglaw.com.
Our annual Industrial Relations training event is taking place in our London office in September 2026 this year. This popular event will cover all the latest developments in industrial relations and trade union reforms. Look out for more details coming soon.
For our Employment and Immigration Training Calendar 2026 listing all our client training events, please visit our website page here.
