Tom Wickersham
@twickersham.bsky.social
Personal account. Economist at the Office for National Statistics. Firm-level data, productivity, business dynamism, management practices etc. All views my own, reposts not endorsements.
As today's National Statistical blog explains, our microdata work supports the ONS Plan for Economic Statistics. Linked Employer-Employee Data will support quality improvement in labour market statistics, and deepen our understanding of economic dynamism. blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/12/08/h...
How firm-level data improves our understanding of productivity
For a few years now the ONS has been going beyond its traditional measures of productivity to look at how individual firms are performing. In this blog Sumit Dey-Chowdhury explains how these data, upd
blog.ons.gov.uk
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
As today's National Statistical blog explains, our microdata work supports the ONS Plan for Economic Statistics. Linked Employer-Employee Data will support quality improvement in labour market statistics, and deepen our understanding of economic dynamism. blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/12/08/h...
In 2023 and 2024, net job creation was entirely due to incumbent firms expanding their workforces. This contrasts with most of the period since the global financial crisis, where the majority of net job creation came from entering firms creating more jobs than exiting firms destroyed.
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
In 2023 and 2024, net job creation was entirely due to incumbent firms expanding their workforces. This contrasts with most of the period since the global financial crisis, where the majority of net job creation came from entering firms creating more jobs than exiting firms destroyed.
This year we have introduced analysis of business dynamism by industry, showing that although dynamism is lower in every industry than in 2001, there is variation in the levels and recent trends.
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
This year we have introduced analysis of business dynamism by industry, showing that although dynamism is lower in every industry than in 2001, there is variation in the levels and recent trends.
The latest year's statistics continue the longer term trends:
- business dynamism that is lower than 20 years ago
- productivity growing faster for the most productive firms than the median
- average markups the joint highest since our series began.
- business dynamism that is lower than 20 years ago
- productivity growing faster for the most productive firms than the median
- average markups the joint highest since our series began.
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The latest year's statistics continue the longer term trends:
- business dynamism that is lower than 20 years ago
- productivity growing faster for the most productive firms than the median
- average markups the joint highest since our series began.
- business dynamism that is lower than 20 years ago
- productivity growing faster for the most productive firms than the median
- average markups the joint highest since our series began.
The ones that always annoy me are along the lines of "£70 a year...that's only 20p a day!" That always sounds more significant to me than the annual cost, not less!
July 3, 2025 at 10:30 AM
The ones that always annoy me are along the lines of "£70 a year...that's only 20p a day!" That always sounds more significant to me than the annual cost, not less!
We will deposit these surveys on the Secure Research Service, and hope that researchers will link the microdata more widely and uncover further insights. PSMPS was funded by the Public Services Productivity Review. Many thanks to my team and previous work by collaborators at @escoeorg.bsky.social
May 27, 2025 at 10:40 AM
We will deposit these surveys on the Secure Research Service, and hope that researchers will link the microdata more widely and uncover further insights. PSMPS was funded by the Public Services Productivity Review. Many thanks to my team and previous work by collaborators at @escoeorg.bsky.social
For example, researchers could apply their own judgement to whether limited financial incentives in the public sector reflect weaker management practices, or are appropriate to the nature of the work in that sector. Differences in characteristics, such as size, might also affect comparisons.
May 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
For example, researchers could apply their own judgement to whether limited financial incentives in the public sector reflect weaker management practices, or are appropriate to the nature of the work in that sector. Differences in characteristics, such as size, might also affect comparisons.
It is worth reflecting on the trade-offs of applying the same management practices standards to public and private sectors. It is helpful to be able to compare results directly, but different organisational characteristics and cultures might affect how questions are interpreted.
May 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
It is worth reflecting on the trade-offs of applying the same management practices standards to public and private sectors. It is helpful to be able to compare results directly, but different organisational characteristics and cultures might affect how questions are interpreted.
We also asked about average days worked from home by managers and non-managers. In all subsectors, managers were at least as likely as non-managers to use hybrid work, and in most cases were more likely. Average management practice scores were usually higher in organisations that use hybrid working.
May 27, 2025 at 10:37 AM
We also asked about average days worked from home by managers and non-managers. In all subsectors, managers were at least as likely as non-managers to use hybrid work, and in most cases were more likely. Average management practice scores were usually higher in organisations that use hybrid working.
Scores on underperformance were strongly influenced by the proportion of organisations that reported having no underperformance. These scored zero under our scoring metric, because we assume that all organisations must have some examples of underperforming staff.
May 27, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Scores on underperformance were strongly influenced by the proportion of organisations that reported having no underperformance. These scored zero under our scoring metric, because we assume that all organisations must have some examples of underperforming staff.
While the public sector generally scored well on KPIs, Targets scored similarly to the private sector, with the lack of financial incentives for achieving targets reducing public sector scores. Despite prior question testing, the concept of KPIs was not consistently understood across subsectors.
May 27, 2025 at 10:36 AM
While the public sector generally scored well on KPIs, Targets scored similarly to the private sector, with the lack of financial incentives for achieving targets reducing public sector scores. Despite prior question testing, the concept of KPIs was not consistently understood across subsectors.
Given the pilot nature of the PSMPS and the diversity of subsectors, it is worthwhile looking at the responses in more detail. Responses on Employment Practices were more likely to score highly across most of the public sector, but in Education the lack of promotions lowered the score.
May 27, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Given the pilot nature of the PSMPS and the diversity of subsectors, it is worthwhile looking at the responses in more detail. Responses on Employment Practices were more likely to score highly across most of the public sector, but in Education the lack of promotions lowered the score.
There are similarities and differences between and with the sectors. The mean management practice scores were close: 0.56 for the public sector and 0.55 for the private sector. But the spread was wider in the private sector, where firms were more likely to receive the highest or lowest scores.
May 27, 2025 at 10:34 AM
There are similarities and differences between and with the sectors. The mean management practice scores were close: 0.56 for the public sector and 0.55 for the private sector. But the spread was wider in the private sector, where firms were more likely to receive the highest or lowest scores.
We combined the 2023 Management and Expectations Survey (MES) with our pilot 2023 Public Sector Management Practices Survey (PSMPS). We kept scoring management practices questions in the PSMPS identical to MES to allow direct comparison. More info on MES methods here: www.ons.gov.uk/economy/econ...
Management practices in the UK QMI - Office for National Statistics
Quality and methodology information for the Management and Expectations Survey (MES), including strengths and limitations of the data, recent corrections, methods, and data uses and users.
www.ons.gov.uk
May 27, 2025 at 10:33 AM
We combined the 2023 Management and Expectations Survey (MES) with our pilot 2023 Public Sector Management Practices Survey (PSMPS). We kept scoring management practices questions in the PSMPS identical to MES to allow direct comparison. More info on MES methods here: www.ons.gov.uk/economy/econ...
The article and data pack contain more results on uses of AI, barriers to adoption, and the relationship with productivity. Please let us know if you have feedback on the analysis. The dataset will be available to accredited researchers in the Secure Research Service. www.ons.gov.uk/economy/econ...
Management practices and the adoption of technology and artificial intelligence in UK firms - Office for National Statistics
Investigating how technology adoption and use of artificial intelligence by businesses vary with management practices.
www.ons.gov.uk
March 24, 2025 at 10:05 AM
The article and data pack contain more results on uses of AI, barriers to adoption, and the relationship with productivity. Please let us know if you have feedback on the analysis. The dataset will be available to accredited researchers in the Secure Research Service. www.ons.gov.uk/economy/econ...
By linking waves of the Business Insights and Conditions Survey in 2024 onto MES 2023, we also found that among firms who hadn't adopted AI in 2023 but said they planned to in 2024, the firms with stronger management practices were more likely to follow through on those plans.
March 24, 2025 at 10:04 AM
By linking waves of the Business Insights and Conditions Survey in 2024 onto MES 2023, we also found that among firms who hadn't adopted AI in 2023 but said they planned to in 2024, the firms with stronger management practices were more likely to follow through on those plans.
The positive relationship between management practices quality and technology adoption remained after controlling for other business characteristics such as size and industry.
March 24, 2025 at 10:03 AM
The positive relationship between management practices quality and technology adoption remained after controlling for other business characteristics such as size and industry.
Firms with higher management practice scores were more likely to adopt advanced technologies. 20% of firms in the top tenth of firms by management practices quality used AI in their methods or processes in 2023, compared to 2% of firms in the lowest tenth.
March 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Firms with higher management practice scores were more likely to adopt advanced technologies. 20% of firms in the top tenth of firms by management practices quality used AI in their methods or processes in 2023, compared to 2% of firms in the lowest tenth.
Conditional adoption rates give clues about which advanced technologies might be required or complementary to adopting others. 91% of the firms using AI in 2023 also used cloud-based computing systems and applications, and 83% of the firms using AI also used specialised equipment.
March 24, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Conditional adoption rates give clues about which advanced technologies might be required or complementary to adopting others. 91% of the firms using AI in 2023 also used cloud-based computing systems and applications, and 83% of the firms using AI also used specialised equipment.