Tag: office of national statistics

UK unemployment falls

Posted on April 16, 2014 by - News

parliamentData from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that between December last year and February this year, unemployment has fallen.

6.9 percent of the labour force are unemployed in the period – that compares to 7.9 percent for the same period last year.

There are now 30.39 million in jobs – that’s 691,000 up from the same period last year, the ONS said.

But there are 8.85 million people between the ages of 16 to 64 that, in the ONS’ jargon, are economically inactive. But that’s down by 104,000 people compared to the previous year.

Pay has also risen by 1.7 percent compared to the same period last time round.

High street sales rose in December

Posted on January 17, 2014 by - News

highstreetThe UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) said that sales in shops rose by 5.3 percent in December 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.

And, according to ONS, small shops did better than the megachains, rising by eight percent compared to 2.6 percent.

Growth in online sales now represents 12 percent of the pie and it’s thought that some of the growth was because shops frantically discounted in December.  That’s not necessarily a good thing, of course.

As we reported earlier this month, sales were mixed from the big boys – M&S and Debenhams didn’t do that brilliantly but John Lewis surged ahead.

UK grows for third quarter in a row

Posted on October 25, 2013 by - News

ukflagThe Office of National Statistics (ONS) said that the UK GDP increased by 0.8 percent in the third calendar quarter, compared the second quarter of this year.

That’s the third consecutive quarter the UK has seen an increase, but the picture is patchy in the four industrial groupings the ONS has under its purview.

Output in Q3 increased by 1.4 percent in agriculture, 0.5 percent in production, 2.5 percent in construction and 0.7 percent in services.  The services sector is now above its peak in the first quarter of 2008, before the economic earthquake brought recession. The other sectors still have a long way to go before they recover.

The services section includes distribution.

The rise in the construction sector is believed to have been fuelled by UK government stimulating the housing market.