Legal update: Latest updates to the Employment Rights Act timetable
The Employment Rights Act 2025 – what employers must know, and what they can do to prepare.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (“the Act”) received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. It introduces significant reforms to a range of measures in an aim to improve job security and enhance workers’ rights in the UK.
The Act will come into force in three stages. The government has published a timeline setting out when it anticipates the changes will come into force. Many of the changes are subject to ongoing consultation, so there may be some slippage to the timeline below.
Consultations are underway on various aspects of the Act as part of the implementation process, including five new consultations launched in early February 2026 covering fire and rehire, trade union e-balloting, flexible working, tipping, and umbrella companies.
Below we have outlined some of the key changes under the Act and what this could mean for employers.