The Canadian Integrated Approach to Economic Surveys Marie Brodeur, Peter Koumanakos, Jean Leduc, Éric Rancourt, Karen Wilson Statistics Canada International Workshop on Economic Census Beijing, July 26-29, 2005

2 Overview of the presentation 1. Scope of the presentation 2. Background 3. Core Underlying Principles 4. Survey Characteristics 5. Business Register 6. Sampling 7. Achievements 8. Enterprise Financial Program 9. Management of UES 10. Future Directions Statistics Canada

3 1. Scope of the presentation r Paper provides details about our complete integrated approach  Systems of National Accounts  Business Register  Unified enterprise Survey (UES) Establishment level Enterprise level Statistics Canada

4 2. UES Background r Major project to improve provincial statistics (1996) r Reliable Annual Provincial Data for the Allocation of HST Revenues (SNA I-O Tables) r More detailed Industry & Commodity data r Creation of Enterprise Statistics Division (ESD) r UES Pilot (RY 1997) -- 7 surveys r Gradual Expansion of Surveys; Covers 75% of GDP Statistics Canada

5 3. Core Underlying Principles r Use of Single, Unduplicated Frame -- the BR r Expended coverage r Common Sample Design Methodology r Integrated Questionnaire -- common / simple language; harmonized concepts / variables r Data collection at the Statistical Establishment level Statistics Canada

6 3. Core Underlying Principles r Common generic processing systems and methods r Centralized warehouse r Head Office Survey r Maximum Use of Tax Data r Annual Profiling of Large Enterprises r Enterprise Portfolio Managers Statistics Canada

7 4. Survey Characteristics r Separate Enterprise & Establishment Surveys r 42 Establishment Surveys r Over 55,000 collection entities representing about 68,000 establishments (17K replaced by tax for RY 2004) r Centralized Collection -- $3.5 million budget r Smallest businesses estimated through tax Statistics Canada

8 5. Business Register (BR) r BR covers all sectors r Incorporated and unincorporated businesses r Complex and simple enterprises r Structure Legal Operational Statistical (Enterprise & Establishment) r Updated with Administrative Data Statistics Canada

9 6. Sampling r Time-in sample is managed by sample control file (SCF) r Stratified Random Sample  Industry (NAICS 4)  Province  Size 1 Take-all stratum 2 Take-some strata (50% of units replaced by tax) Take-none strata (under Royce-Maranda thresholds) Statistics Canada

10 Sampling Process BR (2.3M businesses) Survey Universe File (2M businesses) Sample Control File (700K businesses) Survey Interface File 38K CEs / Questionnaires Tax Est’d (1.3M) UES Sample (70K businesses) Tax Replacements 17K CEs 55K CEs Statistics Canada

11 7. Achievements r Timeliness r Centralized Processing Systems and Databases r Use of Tax Data r Respondent Burden Reduction Statistics Canada

12 7a. Timeliness r Very problematic during start-up years  Many processing systems in development  Problems with questionnaires r Task force created in 2001 r Target: 15 months after reference year r For RY 2003, all surveys between month period Statistics Canada

13 7b. Centralized Processing Systems and Databases r Develop centralized systems  Move away from stand-alone  Single point of access for security r Integrated Questionnaire Metadata System r Edit and imputation r Allocation and Estimation r Data Warehouse Statistics Canada

14 Collection Mailout (38K CEs) Pre-Contact (17K Businesses) Edit / Verification (BLAISE) Receipt (75% target) Delinquent Follow-Up Capture / Imaging “Clean” Records Score Function Statistics Canada

15 Post-Collection Processing Pre-Grooming Allocation / Estimation Edit & Imputation “Clean” Records Central Data Store Subject Matter Review & Correction Tool Tax Data USTART Statistics Canada

16 7c. Use of Tax data r Significant process since 1997 r Close to 600,000 small simple establishments (under threshold) - Macro adjustment r 17,000 additional simple establishments r Tax data used in editing and imputation r Result  Almost 65% of units replaced by tax data Statistics Canada

17 7d. Respondent Burden Reduction r Reduced size of questionnaires  From pages to 4-5 pages r Use of the Chart of Accounts r Related to the use of tax data r Ombudsman function r Enterprise Portfolio Managers r Result  40% reduction of # of hours between 2000 to 2004 Statistics Canada

18 8. Enterprise Financial Program r Monitor the size, the financial structure and position of the corporate sector r Business Register r Survey of complex enterprises over $250 millions in revenues or assets r Consolidated Balance Sheets and Income Statements, corporate taxation r Use of Tax data Statistics Canada

19 9. Management of the UES  ESD provides functional support and coordination  A series of committees is charged with process clarification & decision making Project Management Team Operations Management Committee Frame Operations Sampling Tax Data Operations Content / Collection Processing Operations Statistics Canada

Future Directions  SID/Culture Stats survey integration and content harmonisation into UES  Change Management Team  Sign-off process  “Holistic Response Management” strategy  Business Register Redesign  Welcome new surveys Statistics Canada