How and why the population is changing is a crucial part of the ONS’s work since it helps to inform decisions that affect people’s lives in the UK. Here Liz McKeown explains why understanding the structure of the population, although always vital, is particularly important right now.
Read more on Understanding our changing population: statistics that count
Eradicating forced labour, and ending human trafficking, are two key parts of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Sir Bernard Silverman is a leading academic and public servant who has been working on modern slavery for the past decade. Here he explains why the latest work of the Office for National Statistics is crucial in the fight against a brutal crime which denies people their dignity, safety and freedom.
Read more on Understanding the nature of modern slavery in the UK
Alongside the traditional measures of prosperity like GDP, the ONS is at the forefront of an international movement that’s developing new and alternative economic indicators that go beyond simple financial value. Central to this work are the plans to develop new ways of measuring ‘human capital’ that have been unveiled today. Here John Marais makes the case for measuring human capital better.
Read more on People matter: improving our estimates of human capital
How do we reduce the millions of tonnes of food wasted every year? Can we better support development in African countries by investing in UK businesses? How do we tackle digital exclusion? What about increasing volunteering with the police? And what on earth does any of this have to do with Michael Faraday? Jonathan Athow explains.
Read more on Walking in Michael Faraday’s footsteps
The latest ONS figures show that while overall migration to the UK is fairly stable, EU migration has been falling since 2016 and non-EU arrivals have gradually increased since 2013 to a record level. Here Jay Lindop summarises the latest numbers and explains how an important new data source will in future shed more light on EU-UK migration.
Read more on Study the biggest driver of migration to the UK, but overall levels remain stable