The ONS has drawn up contingency plans to delay the launch of its new labour market survey by 6 months, Bloomberg reports citing people familiar with the matter

• Another scenario under consideration is to launch the survey in May 2027.
• ONS plans to decide in the summer whether to stick to the November roll-out date.

The ONS's consideration to delay the labour market survey's launch could have implications for the market's understanding of UK employment trends. If postponed, it may create uncertainty around the current labour data and affect the economic outlook that traders price in for monetary policy decisions, especially if the launch is tied to significant economic updates expected this year.