1. Quality Aspects and Approaches in Business Statistics
CEFIL
Quality Aspects and Approaches in Business Statistics
March 31th, 2005

2. Recent developments in Business Statistics in Austria
Introduction
Recent developments in Business Statistics in Austria
Legal based statistics
Dominance of requirements of the EU (mainly SBS and STS regulation)
Reduction of burden on respondents as one of the main requirements
Use of administrative sources
Electronic reporting (electronic questionnaires or online reporting)
Quality reporting (TQM)

3. Overview Economic activities by NACE Production
C Mining and Quarrying
Production
Structural Business Statistics (annual)
Short Term Statistics monthly
D Manufacturing
E Electricity, Gas and Water Supply
F Construction
G Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles, Motorcycles and Personal Household Goods
Services
H Hotels and Restaurants
STS quarterly
I Transport, Storage and Communication
J Financial Intermediation x
K Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities

4. Short Term Statistics in Austria –
Use of administrative sources instead of statistical surveys

5. Economic activities by NACE
Short term statistics
Scope and Periodicity
Economic activities by NACE
50 Sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; retail sale of automotive fuel
Trade
monthly
51 Wholesale trade and commission trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
52 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles; repair of personal and household goods
55 Hotels and restaurants
Services
quarterly
60 Land transport; transport via pipelines
61 Water transport
62 Air transport
63 Supporting and auxiliary transport activities; activities of travel agencies
64 Post and telecommunications
72 Computer and related activities
74 Other business activities

6. Data sources for the compilation of STS in Trade and Services
Short term statistics
Data sources for the compilation of STS in Trade and Services
Principle:
Use of administrative sources (administrative sources for services from the beginning (2003) and step by step for trade)
Statistical survey only in exceptional cases
Utilization of administrative sources for purposes of short term statistics
Data sources:
Monthly VAT advance returns to the tax authorities
Monthly employment data from the social security authorities
Business register: Enterprises and self employed persons

7. Short term statistics Variables: Turnover Number of persons employed
Statistical unit: Enterprise
Calculated indices:
Trade:
Turnover indices, nominal, deflated, seasonal and working day adjusted
Indices of number of persons employed
Services:
Turnover indices, nominal
Base year: currently 2000

8. Short term statistics Turnover Trade:
Statistical Concept
Turnover
Trade:
Stratified random sample (4.500 Enterprises)
Turnover from the monthly turnover advance return is taken instead of a primary survey since the reference year 2004
Turnover from enterprises (mainly large ones) with no turnover advance return or whose turnover advance return is questionable is collected with an Web-questionnaire (about 500 enterprises)
Imputation of unit-non response on the basis of the results of the last month with factors, which are based on the development of a relevant strata as well as NACE category
Grossing up to the population

9. Short term statistics Turnover Services: No sample
Statistical Concept
Turnover
Services:
No sample
Turnover returns for all active enterprises in the enterprise register of the relevant NACE categories in the reference periods are taken into account
Mathematical imputation model for missing VAT advance return considering the seasonal development of the relevant NACE category
Contact with enterprises by phone in the case of questionable VAT advance returns

10. Imputation for services – Example: Enterprise x in NACE y:
Short term statistics
Imputation for services – Example:
Enterprise x in NACE y:
Û= 2386/10 = 238,6
Sum pi= 82,6% (without month 5 and 12)
U12s = 2386/82,6 x 9,0 = 260,0 ~ 260
U5s = 2386/82,6 x 8,4 = 242,6 ~ 243
Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 S
Value
181
174
258
234
299
355
271
233
200
2386
Share %y
8,2
8,0
8,5
8,1
8,4
8,9
7,7
9,0
100

11. Number of persons employed
Short term statistics
Statistical Concept
Number of persons employed
Trade and services:
Number of employees from the social security authorities are taken
No sample – employees of all enterprises in the enterprise register are taken into account
Breakdown of results according to NACE classification of enterprises in the enterprise register
Self employed persons are taken from the enterprise register

12. Quality of administrative sources
Short term statistics
Statistical Concept
Quality of administrative sources
98% of employees are linked to enterprises of the enterprise register on a single enterprise basis
90% of enterprises are linked with tax authorities; about 2/3 with VAT advance returns
No major problems with employment data
VAT advance return was reintroduced in Austria 2003  cut off values, missing VAT advance return, complex firm structures, group company VAT advance returns, difference in definition…
Data quality is ok for STS, but further analysis will be necessary

13. Short term statistics
Calculations made
Turnover indicators measure the total turnover in percent of the average total turnover of the base year 2000
Employment indicators (Number of persons employed – no FTE) measure the number of persons employed in percent of average employment in the base year 2000
Trade:
Deflation of nominal indices (wholesale and retail price indices of the relevant NACE categories are taken into consideration)
Seasonal and working day adjustment with X-12 REGARIMA

14. Short term statistics Results
Trade: t+60 (=60 days after the end of the reference month)
Services: t+90 (=90 days after the end of the reference quarter)

15. Short term statistics Future work
Reduction of deadlines for publication of results for distributive trade to t+30 and services to t+60
Change of periodicity for services to monthly
Calculation of seasonal and working day adjusted indices for services
Deflation of nominal indicators for services
 Implementation depends on entering into force of revised STS-regulation as well as longer time series and prices for services