Regular readers will be thrilled that our old friend, the construction sector, is in the frame again - the sharp fall in output in this sector in December is very much an estimate, which some consider a little fishy.

BBC: Straws of hope from GDP

The nearer-term position suggests the descent from recent multi-year highs is likely to continue into the summer, while the longer-term bullish play prophesies significant gains in the energy sector come fall.

FORBES: Betting That Liz Claiborne Goes Nowhere And Energy Goes Lower

The biggest losses were in the IT and telecoms sector, both of which experienced a fall-off of more than 30%.

BBC: Scots business profits weaken

The fall in private sector membership of final-salary pensions, as employers have shut their schemes to both new recruits and even existing staff, has been dramatic and long-running.

BBC: Pension provision still falling, says ONS

The report's author, analyst Ben Broadbent, noted that a 0.9% reduction in UK manufacturing output in January was the sharpest fall since August 1997, and the high-tech sector was to blame for most of the drop.

BBC: Hi-tech slowdown threatens UK

The latest count shows there are now roughly 480, 000 more - with a 1 million increase in the number employed in the private sector easily offsetting the fall in public sector employment since the middle of 2010.

BBC: An economic mid-term review