You asked
Please could you provide guidance on collecting firm-level micro/panel data on:
- Import and export data, disaggregated into product categories
- The type of firm they are, e.g. the kind of industry they were in
- A breakdown of their costs
- Firms’ labour force statistics, including wages, types of employees and training details, etc.
We said
We make data available to researchers in three ways:
- Published data/statistics can be downloaded from our website
- More detailed data (from us and other sources), which still does not allow identification of individual firms, can be obtained by registering with the UK Data Service (based at Essex University). Most of this data is available for download.
- Our most detailed data can be accessed in our controlled environment, the SRS (Secure Research Service).
In order to access data in the SRS the researcher would need to apply through the Approved Researcher scheme. Details of the scheme, including a data catalogue, application forms and guidance are available on our website; https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/statistics/requestingstatistics/approvedresearcherscheme
We are intending to move to making our data available using a similar gateway in the Digital Economy Act. Although it is unlikely to change the application process substantially, in the short term it may mean that some applications take a little longer to be approved as the new process beds in. If access is needed urgently it might be wise to make an application as soon as possible in order to get processed under the existing application process.