1. Meeting Of The European Directors of Social Statistics
Common strategy on potential breaks in time series Item 4.1 of the draft agenda
Meeting Of The European Directors of Social Statistics
Luxembourg, 4-5 October 2016
Eurostat

2. Overview Background Potential breaks in time series Actions taken
Communication strategy
Feedback from DSSB and LAMAS (June 2016)
Next steps
Eurostat

3. 1 - Background 23/24 February 2016: first discussion in the DSS
April 2016: Written consultation of the DSS on:
Main sources of potential breaks in time series
Actions to be taken
Planned communication strategy
with a focus on LFS, SILC and ICT-HH
All 28 MS answered

4. 2 – Potential breaks in time series
Changes in:
LFS
SILC
ICT-HH
Definitions, variables, questionnaire, classification 44 10 3
Data sources 4
Sampling, weighting, imputation 20 31 5
Fieldwork 28 18 12
Law 1
TOTAL 97 70

5. 2 – Potential breaks in time series
Changes linked to IESS:
LFS
SILC
ICT-HH
Definitions, variables, questionnaire, classification
41/44
4/10
2/3
Data sources
4/4
0/10
Sampling, weighting, imputation
9/20
8/31
2/5
Fieldwork
9/28
2/18
2/12
Law
0/1
1/1
TOTAL
63/97
15/70
6/20

6. 3 - Actions taken
Source specific
Country specific
Including pilot study, introduction of an independent sample run in parallel, gradual implementation, application of a mathematical model
 Follow-up at Working Group level

7. 4 – Communication strategy
Before change implemented
After change implemented
Initial user consultation process
Detailed description in meta-data, quality report and user guides on national website
External experts involved in methodological side of the project
Footnotes in tables / flag data when published
User seminar
Press information notice/release/conference
Methodological papers/methodological note/groups with central users
Correct past series
Convene a new labour market and demography liaison group

8. 5. Feedback from DSSB and LAMAS (June 2016)
General support (but challenging)
Common sources of breaks in time series to be addressed combined with a positive communication strategy coordinated at EU/national levels)
Issues to be tackled include combination of national/IESS breaks; three-year moving average used for the MIP Scorboard
Diverging views on use of parallel samples for LFS

9. 6. Next steps
December 2016: LAMAS discussion on a more detailed proposal
Variables to be covered
Variants
Past experience from countries
June 2017: LAMAS proposal on the strategy
Autumn 2017: decision by DSS

10. DSS is invited to give views/agree on the Eurostat proposal that:
Common strategy at European level is limited to changes in the employment and unemployment definitions and to the introduction of flow chart in the LFS
Is proposed by the LAMAS Working Group
Is defined by end 2017 taking results of feasibility studies into account