Self-isolation and worker absences

Photo of Tess Carter, Head of Strategy and Coordination at the Office for National Statistics.
Categories: Coronavirus, Data, Office for National Statistics, ONS
An image of an office type desk, there is a keyboard and mouse on it

As infection rates increased throughout December and early January, we saw impacts across a range of sectors as more people were isolating following a positive COVID test result. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) needed to assess the scale of self-isolation rapidly, and understand which sectors were most hit by worker absences. Tess Carter explains how data we published today help to provide those insights, and how they compare with our other data sources.  

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Leaving no one behind

Categories: ONS

As part of our drive to ensure UK statistics reflect the experiences of everyone in society, we have today published a detailed plan on how we will collectively improve the inclusivity of UK data and evidence so that no one is left behind.  Debra Prestwood describes some of the improvements we can expect to see in the coming months. 

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Building the richest picture of our population

Categories: Census, Data, migration, Population
A group of people next to the River Thames

Population statistics underpin a vast array of analysis, from unemployment rates to health outcomes, and are vital to decisions about all public services. Pete Benton explains how, this year, with new census outputs and more frequent statistics from new data sources, the ONS will deliver richer and more timely insights than ever before.   

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Measuring the changing prices and costs faced by households

Categories: ONS
Image of supermarket checkout

The recent rise in UK inflation has focused much attention on this important metric. But the headline inflation rate is, of course, only an average figure and doesn’t necessarily reflect the price changes experienced by different people. In this post Mike Hardie explains the challenges of measuring everyone’s cost of living – and how some important new enhancements will provide a clearer picture in future. 

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