Smart data and economic growth
Webinar: Smart data for economic growth – jobs, money, and living standards
11 November 2025 – 11:00am to midday
We’re bringing together people who are passionate about advancing smart data research for public good
Smart Data Research UK is launching a new series of live events exploring the opportunities and challenges of using emerging forms of data in research.
Our first session will focus on the economy. Since 2007, UK productivity has remained sluggish, while response rates to traditional economic surveys continue to decline. During this webinar, we will explore how innovative sources such as online activity, banking, and transaction data can complement official statistics to offer fresh insights into jobs, money, and living standards.
Join a panel of experts discussing how smart data can help reshape economic analysis and shape the future of policymaking.
Meet the panel
Joe Cuddeford, Director of Smart Data Research UK, will chair the panel discussion with experts at the forefront of this work.
Rachel Griffith, Co-Director, Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (Institute for Fiscal Studies), will share her perspective on using online data to analyse the labour market.
Dougie Robb, CEO of Smart Data Foundry, home to SDR UK’s Financial Data Service (FINDS). Dougie will discuss how banking and finance data help us to understand financial resilience across households and firms.
Michael Hardie, Deputy Director, Prices Division of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Michael will describe how ONS is using point-of-sale and card payment data to improve price statistics and GDP measurement.
Philip Bunn, Senior Technical Advisor at the Bank of England, will talk about how the Bank is exploring alternative indicators to assess economic resilience.
Details
Date
11 November 2025
Time
11:00am – midday
Format
Online event, panel discussion and Q&A
Cost
Free
Who should attend?
Researchers, policymakers, data practitioners, and anyone interested in how smart data can enhance economic research and analysis.
