25/10/2012

Olympics Help Pull Economy Out Of Recession

Newly published figures have shown that the Olympic Games helped the economy emerge from recession in the three months from July to September.

The economy grew by 1.0%, according to official gross domestic product figures (GDP), which measure the value of everything produced in the country.

Olympic ticket sales added 0.2 percentage points to the figures, the Office for National Statistics said.

All Olympic and Paralympic ticket sales counted towards July to September's GDP figure.

The economy had been in recession for the previous nine months and has still not recovered the levels of output seen before the financial crisis in 2008.

However the ONS added that beyond the effect of ticket sales it was hard to put an exact figure on the Olympic effect, although it cited increased hotel and restaurant activity in London as well as strength from employment agencies.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls praised the news but said that the figures "show that underlying growth remains weak".

"A one-off boost from the Olympics is welcome," he said. "But it is no substitute for a plan to secure and sustain the strong recovery that Britain desperately needs if we are to create jobs, get the deficit down and make people better off."

(H)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

30 March 2005
Government figures reveal drop in poverty figures
Fewer pensioners and children are living in poverty, new government figures have revealed. A report by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed that absolute pensioner poverty has dropped from 2.8 million in 1997 to 900,000 today, a drop of two-thirds.
03 February 2014
One In Three Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Are Over 70
One in three women diagnosed with breast cancer in England each year are aged 70 or over. This age group also accounts for more than half of all breast cancer deaths annually, latest figures show. This age group also accounts for more than half of all breast cancer deaths annually, latest figures show.
22 January 2014
ONS Figures Show Further Fall In UK Unemployment
New figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that the UK's unemployment rate has fallen to 2.32 million, a decrease of 167,000 in the three months to November. The unemployment rate currently stands at 7.1%. The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance also dropped to 1.
17 July 2013
UK Unemployment Falls
Unemployment in the UK has fallen by some 57,000 in the three months May, new figures show. The total figure now stands at 2.51 million, holding steady at 7.8%. New figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance in June also feel, dropping by 21,200 to 1.48 million.
26 September 2012
ONS Figures Show Population Increase Of 1,000 A Day
The UK’s population is growing by 1,000 a day, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics. Record levels of immigration and a higher birth rate have seen the number living in England and Wales grow by twice the European average.