Annual data on business turnover, approximate gross value added (aGVA), purchases and employment costs, from the Annual Business Survey. Two-digit Standard Industrial Classification 2007 group by region or country.

Size and growth within UK non-financial business sectors, as measured by the Annual Business Survey, by four-digit Standard Industrial Classification 2007.

Exporters and importers of goods and services in Great Britain by employment size and turnover size.

This short story uses a snapshot of ONS’s Annual Business Survey (ABS) to look at the contribution that foreign-owned registered businesses in the UK made to the UK Non-Financial Business Economy and their country of ownership in 2012. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: ABS, ABI, Annual Business Inquiry

Monthly Business Survey services industries' total turnover in current price and non-seasonally adjusted, UK.

Weighted estimates from the voluntary fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) about financial performance, workforce, prices, trade, and business resilience. These are official statistics in development.

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) is an annual survey of businesses covering the production, construction, distribution and service industries, which represents about two-thirds of the UK economy in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA).

Every year, ABS questionnaires are sent by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to around 62,000 businesses in Great Britain, and by the Department for Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland (DFPNI) to around 9,000 businesses in Northern Ireland. Data for Northern Ireland are not available from the UK Data Archive.

The ABS is the largest business survey conducted by the ONS in terms of the combined number of respondents and variables it covers (62,000 questionnaires despatched in Great Britain, with around 600 different questions asked). It is the key resource for understanding the detailed structure and performance of businesses across the UK, and is a large contributor of business information to the UK National Accounts.

ABS provides a number of high-level indicators of economic activity such as the total value of sales and work completed by businesses, the value of purchases of goods, materials and services, stocks, capital expenditure, and total employment costs.

The contribution of different industries to the overall value of economic activity can be assessed and, although estimates of employment from each company are not now collected at the same time, by combining ABS with employment information from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) it is also possible to get a measure of value added and costs per head to allow better comparison between industrial sectors of different sizes. The indicators in the ABS publications are collected and presented as monetary values or counts, for example, approximate Gross Value Added (aGVA), numbers of enterprises. They are essentially a snapshot of UK business activity, and can be used to understand the level of the contributions to the UK economy from different sectors of the economy at any one time.

The ABS replaced the Annual Business Inquiry, Part 2 (ABI/2) in 2009, although ABS data are available for 2008. The BRES replaced the Annual Business Inquiry, Part 1 (ABI/1) in 2009. The BRES data for 2009 onwards are held separately under UK Data Archive SN 7463. ABI/1 and ABI/2 data for 2008 and earlier are held under UK Data Archive SN 6644, Annual Respondents Database: Secure Access (ARD). Researchers who are applying for access to the ABS and who also require data prior to 2008 are recommended to also apply for the ARD data under SN 6644.

Linking to other business studies
These data contain Inter-Departmental Business Register 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.

For Secure Lab projects applying for access to this study as well as to SN 6697 Business Structure Database and/or SN 7683 Business Structure Database Longitudinal, only postcode-free versions of the data will be made available.

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Abstract

The Future of Business Survey is a new source of information on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Launched in February 2016, the monthly survey - a partnership between Facebook, OECD, and The World Bank - provides a timely pulse on the economic environment in which businesses operate and who those businesses are to help inform decision-making at all levels and to deliver insights that can help businesses grow. The Future of Business Survey provides a perspective from newer and long-standing digitalized businesses and provides a unique window into a new mobilized economy.

Policymakers, researchers and businesses share a common interest in the environment in which SMEs operate, as well their outlook on the future, not least because young and innovative SMEs in particular are often an important source of considerable economic and employment growth. Better insights and timely information about SMEs improve our understanding of economic trends, and can provide new insights that can further stimulate and help these businesses grow.

To help provide these insights, Facebook, OECD and The World Bank have collaborated to develop a monthly survey that attempts to improve our understanding of SMEs in a timely and forward-looking manner. The three organizations share a desire to create new ways to hear from businesses and help them succeed in the emerging digitally-connected economy. The shared goal is to help policymakers, researchers, and businesses better understand business sentiment, and to leverage a digital platform to provide a unique source of information to complement existing indicators.

With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Geographic coverage

When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. The Future of Business Survey is now conducted in over 90 countries in every region of the world.

Countries included in at least one wave: Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas (the) Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands (the) Central African Republic (the) Chad Chile Colombia Congo (the) Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic (the) Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Faroe Islands (the) Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia (the) Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kenya Korea (the Republic of) Kuwait Lao People's Democratic Republic (the) Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands (the) New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger (the) Nigeria North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands (the) Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines (the) Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation (the) Rwanda Réunion Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks and Caicos Islands (the) Uganda United Arab Emirates (the) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) United States of America (the) Uruguay Vanuatu Viet Nam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (U.S.) Zambia.

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized enterprises.

Universe

The target population consists of SMEs that have an active Facebook business Page and include both newer and longer-standing businesses, spanning across a variety of sectors. With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Twice a year in over 97 countries, the Facebook Survey Team sends the Future of Business to admins and owners of Facebook-designated small business pages. When we share data from this survey, we anonymize responses to all survey questions and only share country-level data publicly. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population, we also weight our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the Future of Business Survey each month.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

The survey includes questions about perceptions of current and future economic activity, challenges, business characteristics and strategy. Custom modules include questions related to regulation, access to finance, digital payments, and digital skills. The full questionnaire is available for download.

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMEs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy:

Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.

Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don't represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and development (for microbusinesses), new business topics such as innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center conduct the ABS jointly for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. The ABS replaces the five-year Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey (BRDI-M), and the innovation section of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDI-S). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs.html

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and development (for microbusinesses), new business topics such as innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center conduct the ABS jointly for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. The ABS replaces the five-year Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey (BRDI-M), and the innovation section of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDI-S). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs.html

In 2014 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) designed the London Business Survey (LBS), on behalf of the London Enterprise Panel and the GLA. In 2021 the GLA requested an alternative to the London Business Survey, to provide a snapshot of businesses in London without the use of a bespoke survey. As such the ONS - London team has compiled various published datasets from multiple sources into a singular workbook. It is important to note that all data in this workbook is already in the public realm and has been compiled into this format for the convenience of users. As part of this project some bespoke adhoc data requests were produced to best match the original questions from the 2014 survey questions (where possible). Data is provided at the London or local authority level where it is published, however there are some cases where data is limited to the national level. Data is provided for the most recent year available. This varies by dataset.

ABS reports annually on UK businesses in the Agriculture (part), Production, Construction, Distribution and Service sectors. Its main variables are Turnover, Purchases, approximate Gross Value Added (AGVA), Employment costs, Capital expenditure and Stocks. The survey collects GB data to which NI data is added (supplied by NISRA). All data are reported on a current price basis. Provisional national data is published in November followed by Revised data in June. Regional data is then published in July. ABS also delivers SBS data to Eurostat every June, and feeds into the NA Supply and Use tables in February.

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 is a relatively new survey that 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. Previousl months include 40 variables.

For the second edition (January 2020), monthly data files from April 2014 to April 2018 have been added to the study. The documentation has also been updated.

The 2014 London Business Survey (LBS) is an innovative survey designed by the Office for National Statistics, on behalf of the London Enterprise Panel and the GLA. The survey collected information from a representative sample of private sector businesses in London in May-July 2014. This dataset contains information on London’s private sector workforce and recruitment by London businesses corresponding with Section 3 of the London Business Survey 2014: Main Findings report. Information is provided on: The number of employees working in London businesses by gender The change in the number of employees compared to 12 months ago, and the outlook for the next 12 months Reasons for a rise or fall in the number of employees Recruitment, including whether London businesses have recruited via Job Centre Plus (JCP), and the perceived suitability of these candidates For statistics on the number of full-time and part-time employees working in London, the ONS’s Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES)is the recommended official source. As with any survey, the 2014 LBS is based on a sample and as such is subject to variability in the results. Care should therefore be taken in interpreting the survey findings. For all estimates, lower and upper limits of 95% confidence intervals are provided in the data files to assist with interpretation. The LBS results represent the population of business units in London. A business unit is defined as a site/workplace, which may also be a head office if the head office is in London. It will be the whole business in the case of businesses which only have one site, or part of the business in the case of multi-site firms. The results are presented by enterprise size band and industry sector.