“Working as a statistician, how we recruit and select”

1. “Working as a statistician, how we recruit and select” Dani Wills and Chris Payne

2. Today we will cover... • ONS • What we do • Sandwich placement • Recruitment process • Applications • Assessment Centre

3. What is ONS? • The Office for National Statistics • Government’s single largest statistical producer • Internationally recognised National Statistical Institute for the UK

4. So What Does ONS Do? • Collects and publishes official statistics about the UK’s society and economy • Census for England & Wales • 285 unique statistical releases

5. Who uses our data? Our work is vital to: • Government • Local Authorities • Health Authorities • Industry • Researchers • Students • The Public

6. So What Can you Do at ONS? Varied statistical careers available… • Census • Survey Output Areas • Production and analysis of surveys and results • Public policy analysis • Population, health and regional analysis • Methodology in Strategy and Standards Lots of scope for moving around and changing posts!

7. What we do Strategy and Standards > Survey Methodology • Work with Output Areas: • Providing expertise and guidance to other areas • Achieving best use of most appropriate methods • Grouped into several centres of expertise such as: • Data Collection • Sample Design & Estimation • Editing & Imputation • Statistical Quality Measurement • Time series analysis • Index Numbers, Prices & Inflation

8. Chris • My background • Social Surveys Division (placement year) • Living Costs and Food Survey • Survey Methodology and Statistical Computing • Time Series Analysis

9. Living Costs and Food Survey • Measures household expenditure • Questionnaire and Diary • Data used by Retail Price Index, Consumer Price Index, National Accounts, Defra, Household Income and Expenditure • Family Spending published annually

10. Time Series Analysis • Advice on all aspects of time series • X-13ARIMA-SEATS • Seasonal adjustment reviews • Forecasting • Benchmarking • Interpolation • Methodological research

11. What is a Time Series?

12. Seasonal Adjustment “The process of removing the variations associated with the time of year or the arrangement of the calendar from a time series”

13. Why Seasonally Adjust? • Seasonality can mask underlying movements of interest to users • The aim of seasonal adjustment is to aid interpretation

14. Why Seasonally Adjust? • Seasonality can mask underlying movements of interest to users • The aim of seasonal adjustment is to aid interpretation

15. What are Moving Averages?

16. What are Moving Averages?

17. What are Moving Averages?

18. What are Moving Averages?

19. What are Moving Averages?

20. What are Moving Averages?

21. X-13ARIMA-SEATS • Step 1: Removes calendar effects and outliers from original series • Step 2: Use moving average algorithm to ‘smooth’ the series • Step 3: Re-introduce temporary effects

22. Dani • My background • Survey methodology and statistical computing • Sample design and estimation (social) – SD&E(S) • Being part of a team • Regular Events

23. Opinions Survey (OPN) • Wellbeing Survey – monthly • Four key wellbeing questions: • Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays? • Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile? • Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday? • Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?

24. Opinions Survey (OPN) • Split trials • Interview/laptop • Order of questions • Change of wording • Different days of the week • Different months • Showcards • Significance testing • User friendly program in SAS and Excel

25. Opinions Survey (OPN) • User friendly program in SAS and Excel

26. Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS) • Finance, Pension, Property, Physical • Longitudinal – Currently collecting wave 3. • Oversampling of wealthier households • Skewed – high level of variability • Non response

27. Distribution of Total Wealth

28. Distribution of Total Wealth (x axis range up to £2,000,000)

29. Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS) • Flag HH with high wealth members • 2.5/3 times more chance of being selected • Analysis: • Weight/calibrate data • Order and find decile cut off points • Calculate the percentage of sample with a total wealth more than 10th decile point • Aim – 14.1% of sample in top wealth decile

30. WAS - Findings Decile groups of total wealth Breakpoint based on weighted data

31. Opportunities • Training: • Personal development • Statistical courses • Statistical Analysis Scheme • Further education

32. Working at ONS • Sandwich placement student • Researcher, Analyst, Statistician • Fast streamer

33. Qualifications Placement student: • Working towards a BA or BSc with greater than 50% research/statistical component • A Level Maths/Statistics qualification Graduate entry: • 2nd class honours degree in a numerate discipline, • or equivalent knowledge gained through work experience or other means, • or a postgraduate qualification that contains an element of numerate research and analysis

34. ONS Competencies • Evidence of statistical experience • Manipulation and analysis of data and presenting research results • Computer literate - experience of working with a variety of software, including experience of statistical software • Good team working skills • Written and verbal communication skills, with ideally an experience of a range of formats and audiences • Manage and deliver to time, quality and discrete pieces of research work

35. Evidence of competency • Examples should be set out using the following STAR format: • Situation/Task – Brief description of what the situation or task was so that the assessor can clearly understand the context of the example. • Action – What action did you have to take or what was your role in the situation/task? • Results – What results did you achieve/what was the outcome/what conclusions did you reach?

36. Sandwich Placement Recruitment Interview questions: • Analysing data • Working with a dataset or spreadsheet • Using initiative • Teamwork

37. ONS Assessment Centre • Written test • Competency-based interview • Technical interview • Presentation

38. Fast Stream Recruitment • Written and numerical aptitude tests • Application form • Statistical assessment centre • Includes FSAC written exercise • Fast Stream Assessment Centre (FSAC) • Pre-appointment checks

39. Fast Stream Recruitment • A minimum 2:1 required in a degree containing more than 50% statistical content Statistical Competencies: • Data Analysis • Data Collection • Data Dissemination

40. Fast Stream Recruitment Fast Stream Competencies: • Drive for results • Constructive thinking • Learning and improvement • Building productive relationships • Decision making • Communicating with impact

41. Recruitment • Now online via Civil Service Jobs • https://jobsstatic.civilservice.gov.uk/csjobs.html/ • Placement student recruitment opens end October • Ongoing recruitment at graduate level, next closing date 31 October • Faststream - Round 1 – Registration 17th Sept – 17th Oct • Round 2 - take place in spring 2013. • Email • RASjobs.Application@ons.gsi.gov.uk for more information on recruitment

42. (Many) Benefits to Working at ONS • Excellent annual leave allowance • Privilege Days • Total flexible working hours • Relaxed & sociable environment • Lots of onsite facilities: • Opportunities for secondment • Membership of a GSS

43. And Now for What You Really Want to Know … … Graduate Starting Salaries at ONS

44. Find out more online www.ons.gov.uk – the corporate website www.statistics.gov.uk – home to all code-compliant National Statistics data http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/ - the fast stream website Any Questions?