It has been a radical and transformative 2023 for the Office for National Statistics, with work underway to future-proof its figures in a number of its outputs. National Statistician, Sir Ian Diamond, joins podcast host Miles Fletcher for the latest episode of Statistically Speaking, to look back over the past 12 months and discuss why change was needed.
Read more on PODCAST: Year in Review 2023
Nearly 9 million working-age people in the UK were not working or looking for work – that is, economically inactive – from May to July 2023. This figure includes more than 2.5 million people inactive due to long-term sickness, an increase of half-a-million people since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma Rourke explains how linked, population-level data can improve our understanding of the interplay between health and work, with the goal of improving the wellbeing of individuals and the economy.
Read more on Using the power of linked data to understand factors preventing people from working
Many economic forces are global, but some of the solutions to issues like competitiveness, productivity and inequality often begin on…
Read more on Unlocking the potential of local data
This week, ONS has published a range of data on what people tell us matters most to them when it comes to living a good and meaningful life. Here Tim Vizard looks at what we’ve discovered, why it is important and our plans to continue exploring beyond purely economic measures to get a fuller picture of how our society is doing.
Read more on What is the meaning of life? Measuring National well-being in the UK
The ONS has published updated and indicative estimates of GDP, which show that the economy was larger than we previously thought in 2020 and 2021, though our estimate for the UK’s monthly and quarterly economic trends is broadly unchanged. Craig McLaren explains what’s led to this brighter picture.
Read more on Improving our estimate of businesses’ outgoings during the COVID-19 pandemic
