ONS

Making everybody count: How we’re transforming the Labour Force Survey

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The Labour Force Survey has for many years been the cornerstone of ONS statistics on UK employment. While now complemented by other, often faster sources of information like real-time PAYE data, it remains the richest source of data on many aspects of the world of work and wider society. Darren Morgan discusses the challenges this survey faced during the pandemic and how we now plan to transform it. 

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One population – five billion statistics

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One year on from Census Day, and the most comprehensive quality assurance ever of census data in England and Wales is underway. This is to ensure the Office for National Statistics produces the best possible information for every local area. Here Pete Benton describes the scale of the work, puts a figure on the number of statistics he estimates will be published – and even admits to getting a reminder letter during his own data collection operation. 

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Understanding the latest changes to UK trade figures with the EU

The official trade figures for January 2022 show that the UK imported £24.1 billion of goods from the European Union and exported £11.6 billion in return. However, in understanding those figures, it’s important that users are aware of some changes to the way HM Revenue and Customs collect trade data. One effect of the developments in today’s release is significantly to reduce the January figure for UK exports to the EU. Matt Hughes explains the changes.

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