Structural Business Statistics 2012

National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

National Statistics Office (NSO)

Time Dimension: 2012

Data Flow: SBS_ESMS_A_MT

Concept name

1 Contact

1.1 Contact

organisation

National Statistics Office (NSO)

1.2 Contact

organisation unit

Unit B1: Structural Business Statistics, Directorate B - Business Statistics

1.3 Contact name Elaine G. Borg

1.4 Contact person

function

Manager

1.5 Contact mail

address

National Statistics Office (NSO), Unit B1: Structural Business Statistics, Lascaris, Valletta, VLT2000, Malta

1.6 Contact email

address

elaine.borg@gov.mt

1.7 Contact phone

number

+356 2599 7342

1.8 Contact fax

number

+356 2599 7205

2 Metadata update

2.1 Metadata last

certified

30/06/2015

2.2 Metadata last

posted

30/06/2015

2.3 Metadata last

update

30/06/2015

3 Statistical

presentation

3.1 Data

description

The Structural Business Statistics is an annual survey which compiles data on the structure, activity and

performance of businesses.

As from reference year 2008 onwards, SBS covers the NACE Rev.2 Sections B to J, L to N, and division S95

(excluding divisions 64 to 66), sub-divided into four annexes covering Industry (sections B to E),

Construction (F), Trade (G) and Services (H, I, J, L, M, N and S95). Financial services (Section K) are covered

in three specific annexes dedicated for Credit Institutions, Insurances and Pension Funds.

The

main characteristics of SBS data include output variables (e.g. turnover, production, value added, gross

operating surplus); input variables (e.g. purchases of goods and services, personnel costs, wages and

salaries, social security costs, investment, persons employed and employees); and Business Demography

variables (e.g. number of enterprises).

From 2008 onwards, Business Service Statistics (BS) became part of the regular mandatory annual data

collection of SBS (Annex VIII). The BSs data requirement includes the variable Turnover broken down by

products and by type of residence of client for certain NACE classes and divisions.

3.2 Classification

system

SBS data from 2008 onwards is provided by the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the

European Community (NACE Rev. 2). The product breakdown is based on the Classification of Products by

Activity (CPA) as stated in the Regulation establishing CPA 2008.

3.3 Coverage -

sector

As from reference year 2008 onwards, SBS covers NACE Rev.2 Sections B to N and division S95. NACE

Section K is partially covered.

The size classes used are based on number of employed persons generally in the following divisions:

0 to 1 or 0 to 9;

10 to 19;

20 to 49;

50 to 249; and

250 plus

BS covers the following NACE Rev.2 codes: J62, N78, J582, J631, M731, M691, M692 and M702for

employment of 20 persons and more.

3.4 Statistical

concepts and

definitions

The complete list of variables covered by SBS may be accessed through the following link: http://eur-

lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32009R0251&from=EN.

The

main SBS variables include:

1 11110 - Number of enterprises, i.e. a count of the number of enterprises active during the

reference period.

2 12110 - Turnover, which comprises the totals invoiced by the observation unit during the

reference period. This corresponds to market sales of goods or services supplied to third

parties.

3 12120 - Production value, which measures the amount actually produced by the unit, based

on sales and including any changes in stocks and resale of goods and services.

4 12150 - Value added at Factor Costs, i.e. the gross income from operating activities after

adjusting for operating subsidies and indirect taxes.

5 12170 - Gross Operating Surplus, i.e. surplus generated by operating activities after the labour

input has been deducted.

6 13110 - Total purchases of goods and services, which include the value of all goods and

services purchased for resale or consumption in the production process during the reference

period (capital goods excluded).

7 13310 - Personnel costs, which are the total remuneration from the employer to the

employees, in cash or in kind, in return for work done by the latter during the reference

period.

8 15110 - Gross investments in tangible goods, which include all investments during the

reference period in all tangible goods. Included are new and existing tangible capital goods

whether bought from third parties or produced for own use.

9 16110 - Number of persons employed, which is the total number of persons who work in the

observation unit inclusive of working proprietors, partners working regularly in the unit,

unpaid family workers, as well as persons who work outside the unit who belong

to it and are paid by it.

10 16130 - Number of employees, i.e. the number of persons who work for an employer and who

have a contract of employment and receive compensation in the form of wages, salaries, fees,

gratuities, piecework pay or remuneration in kind.

Further characteristics are defined in Commission Regulation No 250/2009.

3.5 Statistical unit SBS data is based on enterprises. An enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units, that is, an

organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in

decision-making especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or

more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit.

3.6 Statistical

population

SBS covers market activities; more specifically NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N and NACE Group S95. SBS data

includes branches of foreign enterprises and excludes data of Maltese enterprises with foreign activities.

The target population is selected from the Business Register maintained by NSO.

3.7 Reference area SBS data covers the whole country. The data is not broken down by regions.

3.8 Coverage -

Time

Monetary data are expressed in thousands of Euros.

Data on credit institutions are reported in millions of Euros.

Variables such as number of enterprises and persons employed are expressed in units.

3.9 Base period Not applicable.

4 Unit of measure Monetary data are expressed in thousands of Euros. Data on credit institutions are reported in millions of

Euros. Variables such as number of enterprises and persons employed are expressed in units.

5 Reference Period SBS data refers to a calendar year. This report is based on reference year 2012.

6 Institutional

Mandate

6.1 Institutional

Mandate - legal

acts and other

agreements

As from 2008, SBS data is collected according to the European Parliament and Council Regulation No

295/2008.

6.2 Institutional

Mandate - data

sharing

Aggregated data is disseminated to Eurostat only.

7 Confidentiality

7.1 Confidentiality

- policy

As a general principle, the NSO does not publish any confidential data. At European level, Regulation (EC)

No 223/2009 on European statistics of 11 March 2009 stipulates the need to establish common principles

and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics.

7.2 Confidentiality

- data treatment

Primary confidentiality is flagged on either too few enterprises (where the number of units is less than 3),

or if the dominance share of the largest two units is 75% or more. Secondary confidentiality is flagged in

order to protect primary confidential data, which are suppressed so that sensitive information is not

revealed. These are identified and flagged by NSO using a common methodology applied by other

statistical agencies.

8 Release policy

8.1 Release

calendar

NSO news releases are published and disseminated at 1100 hrs as scheduled in the Advance Release

Calendar. However no news release on SBS is published.

8.2 Release

calendar access

Access to the release calendar is granted through the following link:

http://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/Release_Calendar/Pages/News-Release-Calendar.aspx.

8.3 Release policy -

user access

SBS data can be accessed from Eurostat's website and individual requests from users are dealt on an ad-

hoc basis. Moreover, NSO is guided by policies on dissemination and confidentiality. These can be found in

the following link: http://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/About_NSO/Pages/NSO-Policies.aspx.

9 Frequency of

dissemination

SBS data is annual for all Annexes with only a few exceptions which are required at multi-annual basis.

10 Dissemination

format

10.1 Dissemination

format - News

release

Not applicable.

10.2 Dissemination

format -

Publications

Not applicable.

10.3 Dissemination

format - online

database

Not applicable.

10.4 Dissemination

format - microdata

access

Not applicable.

10.5 Dissemination

format - other

Users can submit ad-hoc requests for data from the SBS survey through the NSO website:

http://nso.gov.mt/en/Services/Pages/Request-for-Information.aspx.

11 Accessibility of

documentation

11.1

Documentation on

methodology

Although there is no Recommendations Manual on SBS data, EC Regulations No. 250 and 251/2009

provide a set of guidelines for SBS data.

11.2 Quality

management -

documentation

Quality reports for SBS data exist for Annexes 6 and 7 (Credit Institutions and Pension Funds). The latest

version is for reference year 2010 and was transmitted via e-Damis to Eurostat.

The SBS quality reports for Annex I-IV and VIII for 2012 were transmitted through the ESS Metadata

Handler.

In addition, the Structural Business Statistics Unit annually documents all the work processes and

procedures for the SBS for internal purposes.

12 Quality

management

12.1 Quality

assurance

SBS data is compared with previous year's data and checked for any large changes in the data, especially

due to large deviations in the main variables concerned. When available the data is checked with an

administrative source for confirmation.

12.2 Quality

management -

assessment

All measures are taken into consideration to assure that the data is of good quality. At company level,

checks are done to test the validity of the data provided. Companies are also checked with previous year’s

data if they were in the sample. These validation checks cater for both data-entry errors as well as errors

related to the variables themselves. Finally, validation checks are done at NACE section level. All data

received is checked against administrative sources when available.

13 Relevance

13.1 Relevance -

User Needs

The main users of SBS data are Eurostat, the Commission, researchers, students, and other units within

the NSO.

13.2 Relevance -

User Satisfaction

A user satisfaction survey was carried out by NSO in 2014. Results showed that 48.1% regarded the quality

of requests by the SBS Unit as high/good. These results are specific to the SBS Unit. Such information can

be found using the following link:

http://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_01/Methodology_and_Research/Pages/User-

Satisfaction-Survey.aspx.

13.3 Completeness All data requested in the Regulation and which is relevant to Malta is being provided except for Insurances

data which presently are not being compiled. Malta is exempted from sending variables that are less than

the one percent of the European Community total.

14 Accuracy

14.1 Accuracy -

overall

Overall, the data is checked with previous years to identify any significant changes in the data. Such

queries are confirmed with financial statements or with an administrative source when available. When

these are not available, NSO corrects or confirms the data using emails or by calling the respondents.

14.2 Sampling

error

Vide attached sheets named 'Annex A'.

Tables 1 and 2 show the coefficient of variation at Group and/or Section level, while table 3 shows the

weighted unit non-response rates for SBS 2012. The indicator values are numeric values of the quality

indicator multiplied by 10 and subsequently rounded to the nearest integer.

All indicator values are weighted to represent the population. Sampling error is neither calculated on

Credit Institutions nor Pension Funds since they are based on population.

14.3 Non-sampling

error

The sources giving rise to non-sampling error include the following:

data providers providing data for a reference year different than the one required,

data not converted to Euro,

number of employees not provided as an average for the year, and

NACE misclassifications

Imputations are usually done based on an administrative source and, in extreme cases, data from

previous years is used (for both unit and item non-response). In some cases, large enterprises are checked

with financial statements when available or with an administrative source. Alternatively, if no information

from administrative sources is available for item non-response in key variables, the sector and the size of

the unit in question are considered, and an intelligent hot-deck imputation method is applied.

15 Timeliness and

punctuality

15.1 Timeliness At the moment, SBS data is being provided at t+23months. Measurements are being taken to provide the

data sooner. Pension Funds data and data on credit institutions are provided timely at t+18months and

t+10months respectively.

15.2 Punctuality In general, punctuality has improved over time.

16 Comparability

16.1 Comparability

- geographical

The data is comparable across other EU countries due to common definitions and methodology of data.

16.2 Comparability

- over time

The data is comparable over time. As from reference year 2008, NACE Rev. 2 was used. As from reference

year 2011, the data is comparable up to NACE 2 digit level.

17 Coherence

17.1 Coherence -

cross domain

In general, SBS data follows the same trends as Short-term statistics, Business registers, and National

accounts. Data on credit institutions is compiled by the Central Bank of Malta, thus making it coherent.

17.2 Coherence -

internal

The internal consistency of the data is checked before it is finalised. The links between variables are

checked and coherence between different data series confirmed.

18 Cost and

Burden

Although a number of different measures have been taken to reduce the financial burden on NSO, the SBS

questionnaire is still costly. On average, around 4,950 questionnaires were sent out by post (for reference

year 2012), excluding second copies, and questionnaires sent using an alternative address after the first

attempt failed. Over time, the questionnaire was shortened and made more concise. Response burden is

significant although the questionnaire was shortened and simplified as from 2010 reference year.

19 Data revision

19.1 Data revision -

policy

Once ready from analysis, SBS data is considered final and is not subject to revisions. Revisions are only

allowed if an error is found in large enterprises that have a considerable impact the whole sector. Data for

reference year 2008was revised due to changes in the population. In general, the NSO adopts the

following revision policy:

http://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/About_NSO/Documents/NSO_Policies/Revisions_of_Official_Statistics.pdf.

19.2 Data revision -

practice

In general, no revisions are made once the data is finalised. A revised dataset was sent for the 2008

reference year.

20 Statistical

processing

20.1 Source data SBSdata is collected through a statistical survey. The sampling strategy adopted for reference year 2012 is

the Neyman Allocation of strata. The stratification variables are based on NACE Rev. 2 (at two digit level);

employment size classes (0-1, 2-9, 10-49, 50-249, and 250 and over); and Turnover Quartiles. The

sampling frame is based on the 2012 version of the Business Register. No survey is done for Credit

Institutions; the data is based on the population.

20.2 Frequency of

data collection

The data is collected on an annual basis except for certain series which are requested on a multi-annual

basis.

20.3 Data

collection

SBS is a paper questionnaire posted to all relevant enterprises in the sample. Questionnaires which are

undelivered are sent out another copy after updating the address. Follow-ups are done to non-

respondents once the deadline is reached, and in certain cases a reminder letter is sent. Data on credit

institutions is compiled by the Central Bank of Malta and transmitted by NSO.

20.4 Data

validation

NSO validates the data before it is published. In general, at the vetting stage, the data is checked for the

most obvious mistakes or for item non-response. The data is analysed and compared to previous years for

any significant fluctuations, and a number of logical checks are in-place in an application programme that

shows the validations to be checked or confirmed.

20.5 Data

compilation

In case of non-response, an administrative source is used and some imputations are one from previous

years for certain limited strata. The weighting structure for reference year 2012) is based on NACE Rev.2

(at two digit level), employment size classes, and turnover quartiles. No calibration techniques are

applied. The received SBS data is compared to Financial Statements and an administrative source when

they are available. Queries that require checking or confirmation are clarified with respondents and

contact is usually made by email or by telephone.

20.6 Adjustment Not applicable.

21 Comment Not applicable.

ANNEX A

Table 1. Coefficient of variation (CV) for variable 12110 (Turnover) at NACE 3 digit level for NACE Rev.2 Sections B to J and L to

N and Division S95:

Economic Activity Coefficient of

variation (CV)*

B081 16

B091 22

C101 7

C103 16

C105 55

C106 11

C107 31

C108 20

C109 8

C110 27

C120 0

C132 0

C133 11

C139 15

C141 32

C143 0

C151 19

C162 37

C171 0

C172 22

C181 70

C192 0

C201 9

C203 7

C204 17

C205 20

C211 11

C212 16

C221 13

C222 21

C231 23

C234 0

C236 9

C237 23

C241 11

C251 29

C252 34

C256 33

C259 13

C261 41

C264 0

C265 11

C266 0

C271 16

C272 0

C273 4

C274 14

C279 0

C281 0

C282 16

C284 0

C289 20

C293 26

C301 25

C309 0

C310 37

C321 51

C324 14

C325 8

C329 7

C331 46

C332 0

D351 0

E360 62

E370 11

E381 14

E382 0

E383 6

E390 13

F411 24

F412 64

F421 14

F422 35

F429 18

F431 18

F432 53

F433 45

F439 18

G451 19

G452 22

G453 23

G454 0

G461 21

G462 20

G463 23

G464 69

G465 25

G466 17

G467 55

G469 22

G471 65

G472 38

G473 21

G474 31

G475 33

G476 29

G477 32

G478 23

G479 17

H493 80

H494 47

H501 54

H502 11

H511 24

H521 18

H522 46

H531 16

H532 17

I551 21

I552 21

I561 38

I562 17

I563 24

J581 37

J582 14

J591 30

J592 10

J601 14

J602 21

J611 10

J612 19

J613 0

J619 26

J620 44

J631 37

J639 0

L681 31

L682 112

L683 49

M691 44

M692 65

M701 31

M702 48

M711 42

M712 23

M721 8

M722 7

M731 74

M732 11

M741 30

M742 40

M743 3

M749 92

M750 17

N771 26

N772 11

N773 29

N774 21

N781 9

N782 13

N783 12

N791 31

N799 29

N801 21

N802 13

N803 0

N811 0

N812 29

N813 22

N821 56

N822 9

N823 28

N829 25

S951 30

S952 11

*CV is calculated as a numeric value of the turnover multiplied by 10 and rounded to the nearest integer.

Table 2. Coefficient of Variation (CV) for the variables 11110 (Number of Units), 12110 (Turnover), 12150 (Value added at

Factor Cost), 13310 (Personnel Costs), 15110 (Gross investments in tangible goods) and 16130 (Number of Employees) on

NACE Rev.2 Section level for the sections B to J and L to N

Economic Activity Coefficient of variation

11110 12110 12150 13310 15110 16130

B - Mining and Quarrying 0 37 22 31 57 22

C - Manufacturing 0 159 115 75 147 63

D – Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply

0 0 0 0 0 0

E – Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities

0 72 93 109 109 95

F – Construction 0 52 62 86 101 73

G– Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles

0 81 49 45 79 41

H – Transportation and Storage 0 97 89 116 89 84

I – Accommodation and Food Service Activities 0 49 57 55 48 41

J – Information and Communication 0 59 62 60 140 54

L – Real Estate Activities 0 100 56 67 101 49

M – Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities 0 100 65 65 232 66

N – Administrative and Support Service Activities 0 33 38 50 63 50

Table 3. Weighted unit non response rates (INR) for NACE Rev.2 Section B to J and L to N. INR is calculated as a numeric value

of the variable multiplied by 10 and rounded to the nearest integer.

Economic Activity Weighted Unit non-

response rate

B - Mining and Quarrying 1

C - Manufacturing 3

D – Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply

0

E – Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities

3

F – Construction 4

G– Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles

5

H – Transportation and Storage 2

I – Accommodation and Food Service Activities 5

J – Information and Communication 4

L – Real Estate Activities 4

M – Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities 4

N – Administrative and Support Service Activities 4