Today we are publishing the latest quarterly update on our Surveys and Economic Statistics Improvement Plan. James Benford looks back at some of the important improvements delivered in the last quarter, reviews performance and sets out plans for the coming months.
Read more on Improved surveys and statistics delivering new insights on the UK economy Today we have published our third quarterly update on the improvement work underway in the ONS for surveys and economic statistics. The update reflects refined priorities, reset milestones and clarity about where activity must wait until constraints are resolved. James Benford explains that, while there is still much to do, putting quality ahead of quantity, and credibility ahead of volume, remains a guiding principle that is driving an ongoing recovery in economic statistics.
Read more on Firmer footing: our latest update on our Surveys and Economic Statistics Improvement Plan Over the last year the ONS has been focusing resources on its headline economic statistics and progressing improvements, particularly on our complex labour market data. In line with our commitment to transparency at the earliest opportunity, James Benford updates on an operational issue which will temporarily impact data quality for the labour force survey from next month. James describes the immediate action taken and work in train on a wider lessons-learned exercise to ensure we both correct course and act to strengthen our operations to further progress the recovery of our statistics.
Read more on Learning from an operational issue temporarily impacting LFS data, in support of our continued recovery There has been recent interest in seasonal patterns in the UK economy and how they are evolving. James Benford writes about the work taking place at the ONS to ensure they continue to be accurately accounted for in our key indicators, such as GDP.
Read more on How we adjust GDP to remove seasonal effects
The International Monetary Fund has today recognised that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is fully meeting the Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus, the highest tier of IMF’s data standards. James Benford and Rebecca Richmond reflect on the new data we are now publishing and how this lays the foundation for further improvements.
Read more on Making progress on improving UK financial statistics
