Economy | Page 20 | National Statistical

Shopping Around for Retail Data? How ONS keeps tabs on a fast-changing sector

Rhian Murphy
February 15, 2019

Categories: Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS

Evolving shopping habits are keeping UK retailers on their toes, forcing many to adapt to survive. The rise of online sales and the disappearance of some big names from UK high streets have also challenged ONS to maintain the accuracy and relevance of the Retail Sales Index. As Rhian Murphy explains, the breadth of its coverage means the RSI remains a leading indicator – not just of retailing but of the economy as a whole.

Beyond GDP: How ONS is developing wider measures of well-being

Richard Tonkin
February 4, 2019

Categories: Business, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS

ONS is continuing to develop new ways of measuring and reporting the UK’s economic and social progress. Richard Tonkin introduces the new Personal and Economic Well-being publication and how it helps us better answer important questions about how are we all doing?’

Productivity gap narrows

Richard Heys
December 10, 2018

Categories: Economy, ONS

New OECD figures published today suggest the ‘productivity gap’ between the UK and other economies including France, Germany and the USA is smaller than previously thought. The latest estimates follow a re-appraisal of how each country measures the number of hours worked. The development of these improved numbers is in part down to work at ONS.

Working 9 to 5? – How we count unemployment and what the numbers show

Jonathan Athow
November 12, 2018

Categories: Economy, ONS

For months now, UK employment has been sitting at or near record highs. Naturally there has been speculation about what is driving the increase, and whether it is mainly because of people on ‘zero hours contracts.’ Jonathan Athow delves into the figures to show how we measure this important figure and what being ‘unemployed’ actually means for official statistics.

Transforming GDP: Economic statistics for a digital age

Rob Kent-Smith
October 11, 2018

Categories: Business, Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS

ONS has radical plans to fundamentally update and enhance the way it calculates many of the UK’s key economic statistics. More detailed information about the dominant services sector and more data on smaller firms add up to the biggest overhaul of GDP in a generation, as Rob Kent-Smith reveals.