Statistics release cancelled
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been facing the challenge of falling response rates for household surveys, as have other comparable countries. This issue became more acute in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data collected for August 2023. The LFS estimates due to be published in October 2023 were suspended because of quality concerns.
We have therefore developed a comprehensive plan to address these concerns and reintroduce LFS estimates. The plan covers both data collection and methodological improvements and will affect labour market-related releases in November and December 2023. See https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyplannedimprovementsanditsreintroduction
November’s Labour Market releases will not include:
• Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) bulletin
• Working and workless households in the UK bulletin
We will provide an update on our progress in early December and what that means for the UK labour market release on 12 December 2023 and the cancelled November bulletins.
