Labour Market and Welfare
The Labour Market and Welfare theme includes statistics measuring different aspects of work and jobs and covers people’s employment, working patterns and the types of work they do. The theme also covers any earnings and benefits they receive.
Since the start of 2024, we have published our findings on a range of labour market and welfare statistics, including:
- Our assessment of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Personal Independence Payment statistics (February 2024)
- Our progress report on the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) reintroduced Labour Force Survey (LFS)-derived labour market statistics (July 2024)
We continue to explore public concerns/queries about labour market and welfare statistics through our casework, working alongside statistic producers.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues and as explored in our blog we want to ensure that statistics used to help measure the impact on household incomes, in particular, for those people living in poverty are robust, accurate and timely. We continue to follow-up on our recommendations for our income-based poverty review, with a latest guest blog highlighting some progress made in this important area. We have also published an explainer statement about income-based poverty.
More recently, we started our review of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency’s (NISRA) development of the NI Labour Market Survey alongside providing ongoing support to ONS as it transforms the Labour Force Survey.
In 2024/25, we look forward to continuing our engagement with statistics producers across the UK, more details of which can be found in our Rolling Regulatory Work Programme.
Contact our regulators for this domain via regulation@statistics.gov.uk
Planned Work
| Project | Geography | Project Type | Timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Force Survey transformation (Office for National Statistics and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) | Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Compliance Check | Continuing from 2023/24 |
| Systemic review of Income-based Poverty Statistics (Department for Work and Pensions, Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue and Customs) | United Kingdom | Review | Continuing from 2022/23 |
| Family Resources Survey (Department for Work and Pensions) | United Kingdom | Compliance Check | In progress |
| Disability Payment Statistics in Scotland (Social Security Scotland) | Scotland | Compliance Check | In progress |
| Fraud and Error in the Benefit System (Department for Work and Pensions) | Great Britain | Compliance Check | Not yet started |
| Statistics on Employment and Earnings from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) (HM Revenue and Customs and Office for National Statistics) | United Kingdom | Assessment | Follow-up from 2023/24 |
Correspondence
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Ed Humpherson to Stephanie Howarth: Suspension of accredited official statistics status for Wales estimates produced from the Annual Population Survey
9 October 2024
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Stephanie Howarth, Welsh Government
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Stephanie Howarth to Ed Humpherson: Request to suspend APS accreditation
9 October 2024
Stephanie Howarth, Welsh Government to Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation
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Ed Humpherson to Michael Keoghan: Suspension of the accredited official statistics status for the estimates ONS produces from the Annual Population Survey
9 October 2024
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Mike Keoghan, Office for National Statistics
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Michael Keoghan to Siobhan Tuohy-Smith: Request to suspend APS accreditation
9 October 2024
Mike Keoghan, Office for National Statistics to Siobhan Tuohy-Smith, Office for Statistics Regulation
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Mike Keoghan to Mark Pont: The Annual Population Survey
26 September 2024
Mike Keoghan, Office for National Statistics to Mark Pont, Office for Statistics Regulation
Publications
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Office for National Statistics’ reintroduced Labour Force Survey (LFS)-derived labour market statistics: OSR progress report, July 2024
7 August 2024
Published in: Progress report
-
Election 2024: What to look out for
7 June 2024
Published in: Guidance
-
Review of reintroduced LFS-derived Labour Market Statistics
21 March 2024
Published in: Reviews
-
Personal Independence Payment statistics: Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
14 February 2024
Published in: Assessment Report
-
Office for National Statistics’ transformation of the Labour Force Survey (TLFS): OSR judgment and progress report, July 2023
10 July 2023
Published in: Progress report
-
Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics: Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK
8 June 2023
Published in: Assessment Report
-
Assessment Report: Pay in the Northern Ireland Civil Service Statistics
10 December 2021
Published in: Assessment Report
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Assessment Report: The Living Costs and Food Survey
7 July 2021
Published in: Assessment Report
-
Assessment of Personal Independence Payment Statistics for Northern Ireland (produced by the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland)
13 May 2021
Published in: Assessment Report
-
Assessment Report: Benefit statistics
18 November 2020
Published in: Assessment Report
News & Events
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OSR Review of re-introduced LFS-derived Labour Market Statistics
21 March 2024
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OSR publishes its findings on response rate challenges in ONS’s Labour Market Statistics
14 November 2023
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OSR Publishes Progress Report on ONS’s Transformation of the Labour Force Survey
11 July 2023
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OSR publishes initial findings following review of Office for National Statistics’ transformation of the labour force survey
14 November 2022
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OSR publishes its review of income-based poverty statistics
19 May 2021
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OSR statement on the impact of COVID-19 on the Labour Force Survey
5 February 2021
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OSR launches its review of poverty statistics
20 November 2020
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The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) Publishes its Reviews of UK Benefit Statistics
18 November 2020
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The Office for Statistics Regulation encourages ONS to enhance employment and jobs statistics
26 March 2020