The management and compilation of the UK’s vital national statistics is in disarray. There are longstanding problems with the main source of employment, unemployment and other labour market data – the Labour Force Survey – which have still not been properly sorted out. Earlier this year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suspended its data […]
Last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) here in the UK hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Falling response rates to its Labour Force Survey – the main source of official labour market data – caused the Bank of England, the government and private-sector economists to question the reliability of employment, unemployment […]
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) plays a vital role in the UK by describing in cold hard numbers what is happening in our economy and society. We should not have to worry about the reliability of their figures. But that is what is being suggested now – not just by a few economic commentators […]
A close decision was expected at today’s meeting of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which delivered the first interest rate cut since the start of the Covid pandemic. That was exactly what we got. Five members voted for an interest rate cut – and four voted to hold rates at 5.25%. The […]
