Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)

Statistics from the New Earnings Survey (NES) were published in 2003 for the last time. A new survey, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), has been developed following recommendations made in the National Statistics Quality Review of the Distribution of Earnings Statistics published on 10 October 2002. ASHE Results will be published for the first time on 28th October 2004.

The ASHE survey is based on the same sampling frame as the NES. The new methodology includes improved coverage of employees and weighting of earnings estimates. The data variables collected remain broadly the same, although an improved questionnaire will be introduced for the 2005 survey. An article will be published on the web providing a summary of the ASHE design.

The change in methodology will mean that statistics on pay and hours based on ASHE, including the calculation of ONS' low pay statistics, will be discontinuous with previous NES surveys. ONS will give guidance on the relative size of the methodological break by presenting figures for 2004 on both old and new bases. We will also publish a consistent timeseries analysis, initially back to 1998.

As part of the introduction of the ASHE, ONS has reviewed the data published from the survey. The detailed volumes A to F that constituted the NES publication will no longer be published. These will be replaced by one volume. This will include UK data on earnings, for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence, by male/female and full/part time. Further breakdown will be as follows:

Regions, counties and small areas;
Occupation;
Industry;
Region by Occupation;
Age-group: 16-17, 18-21, 22-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50+.

Each table listed above will provide an estimate the population count, the mean, percentiles and year on year percentage change within a particular cell and the corresponding coefficient of variation for each estimate, for the following variables: gross weekly pay; gross hourly pay; gross annual pay; weekly pay excluding overtime; hourly pay excluding overtime; overtime pay; shift pay; gross hours worked and overtime hours worked.

Additional analysis of wage negotiating groups and pension categories will be published in Labour Market Trends following publication of the main summary volume.

Ad hoc data requests will continue to be met, although users should note there will be a charge for this service. Users should contact earnings@ons.gov.uk if they have additional data needs which will not be met by the summary volume described above.

ONS will keep users informed of developments through articles to be published on the National Statistics website and in Labour Market Trends.

This page last revised: Friday, 18 June 2004