The short-term employment surveys (STES) are three statutory, quarterly surveys of private sector businesses. The surveys ask businesses for their number of employees (male/female/full-time/part-time) on a specified date (the second or third Friday of March, June, September or December). Results from the combined surveys cover all sectors of the UK economy and all industries, with the exception of 'agriculture, forestry and fishing' and 'private households'. Online questionnaires are sent to a sample of approximately 37,000 businesses each quarter. The combined surveys cover all sectors of the private sector economy and all industries in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) with the exception of 'agriculture, forestry and fishing' and 'private households'. Northern Ireland businesses are not approached via STES. The STES data feeds into the quarterly UK Workforce Jobs estimates published by the Office for National Statistics.