Data

Shopping may never be the same again

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed many elements of our everyday lives, including how we shop. The introduction of movement restrictions meant the closure of most physical shops, so many consumers have been doing their shopping from home instead. In May 2020, over a third of retail spending was online – the highest ever share. In this blog Josh Martin takes a closer look at the online retail sales data to understand this trend.

Read more on Shopping may never be the same again

Understanding the impact on jobs and pay – how the ONS is now measuring the Labour market

Tomorrow the ONS will release its latest set of labour market data showing how, and to what extent, the coronavirus pandemic has hit employment and wages.  In this post Jonathan Athow compares the strengths and weaknesses of the main data sources we use to produce the figures, including the advantages of new ‘real time’ PAYE data – and the limitations of the claimant count figures.

Read more on Understanding the impact on jobs and pay – how the ONS is now measuring the Labour market

Informing the pandemic response: What’s next from the ONS?

In the months ahead ONS will continue to provide new information to inform the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. New analysis of the transmission rate will be included along with further insight on the social and economic impacts.  In this post Liz McKeown and Grant Fitzner, who are leading the analytical response, reflect on our progress so far, and describe our plans going forward.

Read more on Informing the pandemic response: What’s next from the ONS?