Alex Lambert, Director of Surveys
Darren Morgan, Director of Economic Statistics Production & Analysis
Office for National Statistics
(By email)
14 November 2023
Dear Alex, Darren
Review of experimental Labour Market Statistics: produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Following our letter last month announcing our review of the latest published Labour Market statistics using alternative data sources to the LFS, we have today published a report setting out our findings.
Data from the Labour Force Survey underpin many key economic outputs. Our report sets out several requirements for ONS to help ensure that the labour market estimates published between now and the transition to the Transformed LFS (TLFS):
are robust enough to bear the weight that is put upon them;
are clearly and coherently communicated; and
meet user needs.
Our report also sets out lessons to learn for the future.
We would like to thank the teams involved for their positive engagement in working with us to the tight timescales between the Labour Market publications and for committing to address some of our requirements in time for today's release.
We also welcome that ONS published its high level plans for the Labour Market statistics over the coming months to help inform users. It is important that communications around the LFS and TLFS are joined up and coherent to avoid any user confusion. My team will continue to engage with ONS on these statistics and their communication.
This review has focused on the experimental labour market estimates published by ONS on 24 October 2023. Should ONS resume publication of LFS-based estimates and datasets you should not do so as accredited official statistics until OSR has undertaken a review to assure users that ONS is able to sustainably meet users' needs and the statistics are of sufficient quality for intended use.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspects of this letter and accompanying report.
I am copying this letter to Rachel Skentelbery, Deputy Head of Profession for Statistics at ONS.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Office for Statistics Regulation
(by email)
14 November 2023
Dear Ed
OSR review into the recent publication of labour market statistics using alternative data sources to the LFS
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) welcomes the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) review into the recent publication of labour market statistics using alternative data sources to the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
The report acknowledges that the ONS has responded quickly when the quality concerns around the LFS led to the results being suspended, and that alternative measures were developed at pace.
As the OSR notes, we are already taking steps to address the requirements of the report. On 2 November, we published an article setting out a comprehensive plan to address the current concerns and reintroduce LFS estimates.
Today we have also published an article explaining why we made the decision to suspend publishing the LFS and giving details of the methods used for the alternative measures introduced in October.
We will provide an update on the work to reintroduce the LFS in early December and, in parallel, we will continue to transition to the transformed LFS, scheduled for March 2024.
Yours sincerely
Alex Lambert, Director of Surveys
Darren Morgan, Director of Economic Statistics Production & Analysis