Employment solicitors have seen a surge in clients seeking advice on work-related disputes, according to figures seen by the Gazette.

Law firm referral service Contact Law dealt with 2,301 employment-related queries in February this year, 40% more than in February 2010.

January saw similarly high levels, with 2,243 calls logged seeking employment law advice, up 44% on January last year.

Contact Law fielded more queries relating to employment law than any other issue during February, with 23% of callers seeking employment advice.

The record enquiry numbers in January and February tally with recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, which show that UK unemployment rose by 27,000 to 2.53 million in the three months to the end of January, the highest level since 1994.

Of those enquiries in February 2011 that were referred on to a qualified employment lawyer, the majority were either from clients seeking to claim unfair or constructive dismissal, or from individuals facing redundancy.

James Vintin, director of Contact Law’s legal referrals service, said: ‘The rise in employment-related legal enquiries at the start of this year suggests that the fallout from this recession is still being felt in the labour market, and is likely to be felt for some time.

‘In particular, enquiries from private sector workers have risen over the past few months.

'With the employment landscape for the public sector likely to grow even bleaker in 2011, we expect to see enquiry numbers rising rather than falling in the coming months, as public sector job cuts gather momentum.’