About labour market statistics

Labour market statistics measure many different aspects of the labour market and provide an insight into the economy. They are also very much about people, including:

their participation in the labour force
the types of work they do
earnings and benefits they receive
their educational qualifications
their working patterns

According to the supply and demand model, labour market statistics can be divided into those capturing characteristics of labour supply (the employed, unemployed and inactive) and labour demand (vacancies and jobs offered by employers).

Users and uses

Users of labour market statistics include central and local government, economists, financial analysts, journalists, businesses, trade unions, employer associations, students, teachers, industrial tribunals, academic researchers and lobby groups.

They use them for the analysis, evaluation, monitoring and planning of the economy and labour market. Labour market statistics are also used for social analysis and help to inform a wide range of government policies towards population groups of particular concern (women, young people, older people and jobless households).

Fitness for purpose of labour market statistics

'Fitness for purpose' is a term used to describe the quality of statistics in terms of:

Accessibility and timeliness

The value of statistics is diminished if they are inaccessible or untimely.

Accuracy and precision

The key labour market statistics are derived from household and employer surveys, and are subject to sampling variability. However administrative and Census data can be used to improve the quality of their data.

Coherence

The establishment of a labour market statistics framework provides a coherent structure in which labour market statistics can be seen.

Comparability

Statistics are rarely used in isolation. Data become more valuable when they can be compared over time or between different areas.

Relevance

Statistics are only relevant when they meet users' needs.