Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The Monthly Business Survey (MBS) collects turnover and employment information from UK businesses in production industries and Great Britain businesses in services industries. Monthly turnover results give an early indication of what is happening in the economy and contribute to a number of important economic measures, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Index of Production (IoP) and the Index of Services (IoS). The GDP is a key economic measure used by the Bank of England and HM Treasury to monitor and forecast economic growth and to inform vital policy decisions. The IOP and the IOS show changes in production and service sector outputs, respectively, and are a key measure of these industries' contribution to the economy. Employment information is collected via the MBS on a quarterly basis to feed into other Office for National Statistics (ONS) publications such as the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin, Workforce Jobs and the Economic and Labour Market Review. The survey provides businesses with a vital source of information for identifying trends in the market, as a benchmark for company performance and as a guide to market developments. The MBS combines two previously separate ONS turnover/employment surveys: the Monthly Production Inquiry (available from the UK Data Archive under SN 6726) and the Monthly Inquiries into the Distribution and Services Sector (available under SN 6747). Linking to other business studies These data contain Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) reference numbers. These are anonymous but unique reference numbers assigned to business organisations. Their inclusion allows researchers to combine different business survey sources together. Researchers may consider applying for other business data to assist their research.From July 2014 the data available is limited to 12 variables for each month. Previously, months include 40-46 variables. The time series is incomplete and there is limited metadata available for this study. Users should view the Data Archive Data Dictionaries for data availability.Latest edition informationFor the fourth edition (July 2023), new Q40 and Q49 monthly data files for January 2021 to March 2022 have been added to the study.
Main Topics:
The MBS includes the following variables:IDBR reporting unit reference numberturnoverregistered employmentsurveyed employment (quarterly), including, total, male, female, full-time and part-timegrants (201001 to 201406 only)exports (201001 to 201406 only)receivables (201001 to 201406 only)sales (201001 to 201406 only)water volume for Water Treatment and Supply industry (201001 to 201406 only)
One-stage stratified or systematic random sample
Telephone interview
Postal survey
