Implementation of SIC 2007 across the Government Statistical Service (GSS)

Abstract

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) is a method of classifying businesses by their type of economic activity. The classification is used in the collection and presentation of data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and for administrative purposes and by government and nongovernment bodies as a convenient way of classifying industrial activities into a uniform and common structure. The UK’s SIC has been revised six times since its introduction in 1948, but SIC 2007 represents the first major revision since 1992 and follows a series of consultations in conjunction with a revision of the European Union’s industrial classification system. This article give an overview of ONS’s progress over the last year towards carrying out the revision and discusses the wider impact across the GSS.