The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is facing significant challenges in conducting its Labour Force Survey (LFS), the UK’s largest regular household survey, amid declining public participation and safety concerns among field interviewers. Since 1973, the survey has provided critical data on employment, wages, health, and living conditions, shaping economic and social policy decisions across the country.

Over the past year, the ONS has recruited 540 temporary interviewers through agencies Randstad and Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) as part of a £6 million campaign aimed at boosting survey uptake. Despite these efforts, retention has been difficult, with more than half of the temporary workers leaving within months, citing safety risks, demanding work conditions, and a disconnect between expectations and reality. Jason, a former interviewer, described the job as hazardous, having to visit estates alone at night in adverse weather while visibly branded as ONS staff.

The LFS currently operates with an annual budget of £32.5 million and approaches over 116,000 households each quarter. The survey’s monthly data are crucial for understanding the UK’s labour market and influence decisions on interest rates and welfare. Nonetheless, household response rates have plummeted from 79% in 1993 to a record low of 12.7% in 2023. Privacy concerns, diminished trust in institutions, and public indifference are among the factors contributing to the decline.

In response to worsening participation, the ONS delayed its October 2023 data release for the first time, instead relying on “experimental” estimates derived from administrative sources such as HM Revenue & Customs and Department for Work & Pensions records. This prompted concern among economists and policymakers who feared a loss of data accuracy vital for economic planning.

Field interviewers highlighted the complexity of their role, requiring a mix of investigative, sales, and scientific skills to locate addresses, gain household trust, and administer the survey correctly. Yet pay remains modest, with hourly rates starting just above the national living wage outside London and slightly under the London living wage within the capital. Moreover, interviewers face repeated refusals, hostility, and safety incidents. One interviewer detailed an episode of verbal abuse and intimidation by youths, while union representatives reported a noticeable rise in assault and abuse complaints, including a case of a dog attack.

The ONS has taken steps to improve interviewer safety, issuing mobile panic buttons and removing problematic addresses from the survey sample. However, interviewers express frustration with pressure to secure interviews despite public resistance, sometimes being instructed to revisit households that have declined participation, which can heighten safety risks and community tensions.

There is also tension around interview methods. While offering phone interviews might ease some difficulties, ONS officials emphasize that face-to-face data collection remains the “gold standard” due to its superior accuracy, citing declines in data quality during the pandemic when reliance shifted toward remote surveying.

To modernize the approach, the ONS has been working on an online-first “transformed labour force survey,” which would be supported by phone and in-person follow-ups. Still, this project has been delayed and may not launch until 2027, several years later than initially planned.

Despite these hurdles, recent data suggest progress. ONS director Alex Lambert reported that response numbers nearly doubled in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the previous year, reaching levels comparable to 2019. This improvement has been acknowledged by key users of the data, including the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Experts agree the survey remains a vital tool, although challenges persist in capturing detailed information on specific subgroups, such as people with disabilities or those not in employment, education, or training. Meanwhile, interviewers continue to encounter a public that is often polite but reluctant, particularly among younger adults and harder-to-reach socioeconomic groups. The ONS recently produced a recruitment video to clarify job expectations for future temporary interviewers, aiming to better prepare staff for the demanding nature of the role.