Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators (2024)

• Overall retail footfall remained broadly unchanged in the week to 16 June 2024 when compared with the previous week but was 4% lower when compared with the equivalent week of 2023 (MRI OnLocation). Section 3: Consumer behaviour.

• The annual growth in automotive fuel prices was 4% in the week to 9 June 2024, remaining broadly unchanged when compared with the previous week (Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero). Section 3: Consumer behaviour.

• Around one in five (22%) trading businesses reported that their turnover had decreased in May 2024 compared with April 2024, which was broadly stable from last month; in contrast, 17% reported that their turnover was higher, and 52% reported that turnover stayed the same (final results from wave 110 of the Business Insights and Conditions Survey).

• The total number of online job adverts on 14 June 2024 increased by 1% from the level in the previous week but was 20% below the level in the equivalent period of 2023 (Adzuna). Section 4: Business and workforce.

• In the week to 16 June 2024, the System Price of electricity increased by 45% compared with the previous week from a seven-day average price of 5.011 pence per kilowatt hour to 7.242 pence per kilowatt hour; meanwhile, the System Average Price (SAP) of gas increased by 1% from 2.822 pence per kilowatt hour to 2.840 pence per kilowatt hour (Elexon, National Gas Transmission). Section 5: Energy.

• In the week to 16 June 2024, the daily average number of UK flights increased by 1% when compared with the previous week and was 5% higher than the equivalent week of 2023 (EUROCONTROL). Section 6: Transport.

Notes:

1. Card spending over time is pushed upwards by the impacts of both inflation on value of transactions and cash-to-card conversion.
2. Revolut adjustments to user count are at an aggregate level, so age bands may not adjust evenly.
3. Indicators with SA in the title have been seasonally adjusted.

National retail footfall

In the week to 16 June 2024, overall retail footfall remained broadly unchanged when compared with the previous week but was 4% below the level seen in the equivalent week of 2023.

Retail park footfall and shopping centre footfall both increased when compared with the previous week, rising by 1% and 2% respectively, while high street footfall decreased by 2%. All three location categories saw a decrease in footfall when compared with the equivalent week in 2023, with the largest decrease being for high street footfall, which fell by 6%.

Overall retail footfall decreased in 7, increased in 4 and remained broadly unchanged in 1 of the 12 UK countries and English regions when compared with the previous week. The largest decrease was seen in the North East of England, which fell by 6%, while the largest increase was seen in Wales, rising by 2%.

All 12 UK countries and English regions saw a decrease in overall retail footfall when compared with the equivalent week of 2023. The largest decrease was seen in the North East of England, which fell to 9% below the level seen in the equivalent week of 2023.

Automotive fuel spending

The annual growth rate in the estimated demand for fuel per transaction was negative 2% in the week to 9 June 2024. This remained unchanged when compared with the previous week and was 6 percentage points lower than in the equivalent week of 2023.

The annual growth rate in average fuel prices was 4% in the week to 9 June 2024. This was broadly unchanged compared with the previous week and was 23 percentage points higher than in the equivalent week of 2023.

Our accompanying Automotive fuel spending dataset is available.

Online job adverts

Figure 2: In the latest week, the total number of online job adverts increased by 1% when compared with the previous week, but was 20% lower than in the equivalent period of 2023

Volume of online job adverts, non-seasonally adjusted, UK, 7 February 2018 to 14 June 2024

Notes:

1. These estimates of online job adverts are provided by Adzuna, an online job search engine and are an indicator for the demand of labour.
2. Week-on-week changes in online job advert volumes are outlined as percentages, rather than as percentage-point changes. Percentage-change figures quoted in the commentary will therefore not necessarily match the percentage-point changes observed in the chart and in ourOnline job advert estimates dataset.
3. Further category breakdowns are available in ourOnline job advert estimates dataset, and more details on the methodology are in our Using Adzuna data to derive an indicator of weekly vacancies: Experimental Statistics methodology.

The total number of online job adverts on 14 June 2024 increased by 1% when compared with the previous week.

For the same period, online job adverts increased in 4 of the 12 UK countries and English regions, decreased in 3 and remained broadly unchanged in the other 5. The largest week-on-week increase was for adverts in the South East, rising by 3%, while the largest decreases in adverts were seen in Northern Ireland and the North East, both falling by 3%.

The total number of online job adverts was 20% lower when compared with the equivalent period of 2023, with all UK countries and English regions having fewer adverts. The largest year-on-year decline was in Scotland, 33% lower than a year ago.

When compared with the equivalent period of 2023, the total number of adverts was lower in 26 of the 28 job categories. The categories with the largest declines were in "Admin, clerical and secretarial" and "Construction and trades", at 51% and 50% less, respectively.

Our accompanying Online job advert estimates dataset is available.

Advanced notification of potential redundancies

Calculated as a four-week rolling average, the number of potential redundancies in the week to 9 June 2024 was 4% higher than the level in the equivalent week of 2023, while the number of employers proposing redundancies was 5% higher when compared with the same period.

Comparisons with the equivalent period a year ago help account for any seasonal impacts. For more information, our accompanyingAdvanced notification of potential redundancies datasetis available.

System Average Price of gas

In the week to 16 June 2024, the System Average Price (SAP) of gas increased by 1% when compared with the previous week, from a seven-day average price of 2.82 pence per kilowatt hour to 2.84 pence per kilowatt hour. This was 6% lower than the equivalent week of 2023, which had a seven-day average price of 3.02 pence per kilowatt hour.

Our accompanying System Average Price of gas dataset is available.

System Price of electricity

In the week to 16 June 2024, the System Price of electricity increased by 45% compared with the previous week, from a seven-day average price of 5.011 pence per kilowatt hour to 7.242 pence per kilowatt hour. This is now 30% lower than the equivalent week of 2023, which had a seven-day average price of 10.291 pence per kilowatt hour.

Our accompanyingSystem Price of electricity dataset is available.

Daily UK flights

In the week to 16 June 2024, the daily average number of UK flights increased by 1% when compared with the previous week. This was 5% higher than the equivalent week of 2023.

Our accompanyingDaily UK flights dataset is available.

Traffic camera activity

The average traffic camera activity for cars in London decreased by 1% in the week to 2 June 2024, when compared with the previous week. However, average pedestrian and cyclist levels in London increased by 6% over the same period.

Our accompanyingTraffic camera activity datasetis available.

This section lists a selection of the data available in this publication. For the full list of available datasets, please see ouraccompanying dataset page.

Real-time indicator

A real-time indicator provides insights into economic activity using close-to-real-time big data, administrative data sources, rapid response surveys or experimental estimates, which represent useful economic and social concepts.

Seasonal adjustment

Seasonal adjustment is the identification and removal of consistent and systematic variation in time series that is associated with the time of year. For more information on seasonal variation, and how we implement seasonal adjustment, see Section 2 of the Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators methodology article.

Official statistics in development

These statistics are labelled as "official statistics in development". Until September 2023, these were called "experimental statistics". Read more about the change in our Guide to official statistics in development.

We are developing how we collect and produce the data to improve the quality of these statistics. Read more in our Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators methodology article.

Once the developments are complete, we will review the statistics with the Statistics Head of Profession. We will decide whether the statistics are of sufficient quality and value to be published as official statistics, or whether further development is needed. Production may be stopped if they are not of sufficient quality or value. Users will be informed of the outcome and any changes.

We value your feedback on these statistics. Contact us at realtime.indicators@ons.gov.uk.

Dataset release dates and intended release frequency

Latest release dates and intended release frequency of our associated datasets are available in the following list. Please note that there may be some change to the intended release frequency because of a variety of reasons, such as data availability. If you would like further information about any of these datasets or previous release dates, please emailrealtime.indicators@ons.gov.uk.

Weekly data release

• The UK spending on credit and debit cards dataset was last updated on 16 May 2024.

• The Revolut spending on debit cards dataset was last updated on 1 February 2024.

• The Automotive fuel spending dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The Online job advert estimates dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The Company incorporations, voluntary dissolutions and compulsory dissolutions dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The Advanced notification of potential redundancies dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The System Average Price of gas dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The System Price of electricity dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The Traffic camera activity dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

• The Weekly shipping indicators dataset was last updated on 5 April 2024.

• The Daily UK flights dataset was last updated on 20 June 2024.

Fortnightly data release

• The Transactions at Pret A Manger dataset was last updated on 13 June 2024.

Monthly data release

• The Monthly Direct Debit failure rate and average transaction amount dataset was last updated on 13 June 2024.

• The Value Added Tax, flash estimates dataset was last updated on 18 April 2024.

• The Renter affordability for new tenancies dataset was last updated on 6 June 2024.

• The Sales and jobs in small businesses dataset was last updated on 2 May 2024.

These statistics have been produced to provide timely indicators of the effect of developing world events on the UK economy and society, using close-to-real-time big data, administrative data sources, rapid response surveys, or official statistics in development.

The data presented in this bulletin are reviewed and refreshed on a regular basis. Indicators are swapped in and out of the publication based on their suitability and availability.

Seasonality

Seasonal fluctuations are likely to be present in many of these indicators, so caution must be applied when interpreting changes in series that are not seasonally adjusted.