Statistics Estonia

Enterprise and Agricultural Statistics Department

Tatari 51, 10134 Tallinn Estonia

Average gross hourly earnings of male and female employees by major group of occupation, occupations, economic activity, level of education, age group, length of service and type of employment contract.
Deciles and median of average gross monthly and hourly earnings of male and female employees by major group of occupation and economic activity.

Estonian Classifcation of Economic Activities (EMTAK 2008) based on NACE Rev. 2

Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK)

National Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011)

International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 08)

Economically active units – enterprises, institutions and organisations (enterprises, organisations, foundations and entrepreneurs with zero employees are excluded)

Average hourly gross earnings in October – the time-rated and piece-rated payments, monthly paid bonuses, premium pay for overtime, night work and holiday work, premium pay for unhealthy working conditions, length of service, qualifications and special knowledge and other regulary paid payments (before tax deductions) devided with worked time in  October.

Payments for worked time in October – the time-rated and piece-rated payments; monthly paid bonuses, premium pay for overtime, night work and holiday work; premium pay for unhealthy conditions of work, length of service, qualifications and special knowledge, before tax deductions.

Quarterly and annual bonuses, Christmas allowances and other irregular bonuses and allowances; payments in kind; payments to employees leaving the enterprise and in case sick leave; one-time allowances in case of a jubilee, birth and death, etc. are excluded.

Hours of work in October – hours actually worked by full-time and part-time employees (incl. time spent on tasks such as work preparation, preparing, maintaining and cleaning tools and machines and writing up work cards and reports; time spent at the place of work during which no work is done owing to, for example, machine stoppages; tea and coffee breaks, etc.) and overtime working hours.

Deciles – divide the employees into ten equal groups. The first decile shows the value of earnings of which 10% employees earn less and 90% earn more. The fifth decile is at the same time median, of which half of employees earn higher and half earn lower earnings.

Employee

Economically active units – enterprises, institutions and organisations (excl. enterprises, organisations and sole proprietors without employees)

Estonia as a whole
Counties

Since 2005

Not available

Probability sampling

Sample design of SES is stratified two-stage sample. On the first stage enterprises, organisations and institutions are selected. Before the selecting the first stage sample the units will be stratified with respect to kind of activity and number of employees.

All units with 150 and more employees will be selected into the first stage sample with probability 1. On the second stage in each of them a random sample of employees will be selected by birthday rule whereas the employees belong to the 1 major group of ISCO-08 are completely enumerated.

Among primary sampling units with less than 150 employees a simple random sample will be selected in each stratum. Employees belonging to the units selected into the sample on this first stage will be enumerated totally.

Over four years

Data are collected through eSTAT (the web channel for electronic data submission). eSTAT is also used to monitor the completion of questionnaires. The questionnaires have been designed for completion in eSTAT by the respondents themselves and they include instructions and controls. The questionnaires and information about data submission are available on Statistics Estonia’s website at https://www.stat.ee/en/submit-data/about-data-submission.

Data are collected with the statistical questionnaire „Töötasu struktuur”.

Arithmetic and qualitative checks are used in the validation process, including checking that the population coverage and response rates are as required, comparison with the data of previous periods or other surveys and with administrative data sources.

If the data is completed then the sample data are grossed up in each stratum separately for estimated population totals. The grossing up factor is two staged. At first the grossing up factor would be found for the local units and then for the employees. Then the aggregated results would be calculated.

Employee's paid hours and earnings, which are affected by unpaid absence, should be adjusted to obtain paid hours and earnings for a full month.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the EFQM Excellence Model, EU Statistics Code of Practice and the ESS Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the requirements provided for in § 7. „Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process (this information includes, among other things, feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees). This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

The SES has been carried out 5-th time in Estonia.

Main users are Eurostat and other EU institutions. Other users are Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Economic Affairs, banks, scientific institutions, foreign and local employer’s associations, foreign entrepreneurs, trade unions, media and Statistical Office of Estonia itself. Above-mentioned users are more interested in the short-term wages and salaries per employee.

Users’ suggestions and information about taking them into account are available on the SE website https://www.stat.ee/en/find-statistics/methodology-and-quality.

Since 1996 Statistics Estonia conducts reputation surveys and user surveys.

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In compliance with the rules (regulations).

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient coverage and timeliness.

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Probability sampling

Coefficients of variation (CV) were calculated for average gross monthly earnings and average gross hourly earnings full-time and part-time employees by sex, economic activity, occupation, age band and size band of enterprise. CV by NACE and region was omitted because NUTS level 1 is whole country. Software R was used for calculations. Sample design – stratification and inclusion probabilities in both stages were taken into account estimating sample variance. The results are presented in the tables in the attached document Coefficients of variation where ‘standard error’ denotes the square root of the variance.

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The sample was selected from the register updated in the end of the year 2017.

Under-coverage of the sampling frame is caused by delay between selection of the sample and data collection. During the year 2018 a number of enterprises were born and had started their activities but were not covered by the survey, i.e. formed the undercoverage.

Under-coverage rates are presented in the attached document Under-coverage rate.

The sampling frame used contained certain amount of over-coverage because in the end of the year 2017 all new-born enterprises had been included into the register and a part of them did not start activities during 2018.

In the attached document below over-coverage rates broken down by 2-digit NACE code are presented. Those rates are calculated as ratios of the number of nonactive units over the total number of units in the register. The number of non-active units is estimated based on the sample.

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Structure of earnings survey was conducted in the Statistics Estonia first time in 2002.

In 2002 the structure of earnings pilot survey was the first survey based on individual level survey conducted by the Statistics Estonia. The main purpose of this pilot survey was to test the questionnaire. The pilot survey was conducted from March to May covering the calendar year 2001.All these steps helped to compile the SES questionnaire and the logic tests.

In the main survey 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 the same problem as in the pilot survey follow-up again. From the variable “number of worked and paid days to which the gross annual earnings relate” the days of sick leave and the days not worked and not paid were not subtracted correctly by employers. At the same time the employees who have not been present the whole year the accounting of working time were not correct in lot of cases.

There are some deviations from the list of the variables in the regulation. For instance paid hours but not worked are estimated through paid days but not worked and through standard for working time in a week according to internal work procedure rules in an enterprise or statutory normal working time.

For estimation paid hours but not worked we used the following additional information or breakdowns: total number of days of annual leave of employees in October and days not worked in October but nevertheless paid and standard for working time in a week according to internal work procedure rules in enterprise or statutory normal working time in a week. Total number of hours paid during the October was calculated to the database as variable through the formula.

For estimation the total number of weeks in the year to which the gross annual earnings relate we used the following additional breakdowns: number of worked and paid days in the year to which the gross annual earnings relate, annual days of holiday leave and days not worked in the year but nevertheless paid. The numbers of weeks in the year to which the gross annual earnings relate were calculated to the database as variable through the formula.

Variables which needed the most of cases of correction were occupation code, overtime hours, days of holiday leave in October, days not worked in October but nevertheless paid, earnings paid for overtime hours, payment for days not worked in October, number of worked and paid days in the year to which the gross annual earnings relate.

The logic test also includes the relation between the gross earning in October and gross annual earnings. Through this test lot of errors were find which needed correction like variable payments for actually worked time in October (irregular bonuses were included).

Above mentioned variables were under extra priority during the checking process.

The logic test has revealed all errors of magnitude made by respondents and during the data entry by NSI staff. After contacts with respondents and corrections the logic tests were used again.

The overall response rate was 81,8 %. The information about response rates by enterprise size band and 2-digital NACE rev.2 are provided in the attached document below.

It is assumed that in the strata where random sample was selected the distribution of any variable among responded units is the same as among non-responded units. As a matter of fact, in each stratum the set of responded units is considered as a sample available. The units in the sample selected and having no economic activity are taken into account as respondents with zero data. In the completely enumerated strata (150 and more employees) non-response is not adjusted.

In this survey the imputation method was not used.

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The main error caused by the choice of a certain model is probably concerned with the non-response model among sampled units. The assumption is made that the distribution of non-respondents is similar to that of respondents but this assumption may not be true in some strata.

The employee’s gross monthly earnings and number of hours actually paid in the reference month are affected by unpaid absence due to sickness, no work or study leave etc. or simply because the employee joined or left the enterprise during the reference month, then the earnings and number of hours actually paid were adjusted in order to provide an estimate of the employee's earnings and number of hours actually paid for a full month. If the employee's overtime hours, overtime earnings and special payments for shift work are affected by unpaid absence, then these variables were adjusted to obtain for a full month.

There was no need for adjustments of fiscal year to calendar year because data were asked always about calendar year independent of the accounting system of particular enterprises.

No data from administrative sources were used. All results presented are obtained based only on the survey.

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Preliminary data are released 547 days upon the end of the reference period (T+547).

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There was no time lag between the actual delivery of the data and the target date when it should have been delivered.

The data are released within 547 days of the end of October (T+547).

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.

The definitions and classifications used in Estonia comply with international definitions and classifications.

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Compared to the data of the previous period, there are no changes in coverage, definitions and methodology.

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Earnings data collection is closely related to other statistics in this field, but certain coherence problems should be taken into account when comparing data relating to the same variables from the Wages and Salaries Survey ( statistical activity 21101).

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The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent.

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Statistical Office of Estonia analysed the data of SES and then the results were available on the website www.stat.ee statistical database.

The metadata and results of SES 2018 were available on the website since 3rd of July of 2020.

Data are published under the heading „Economy/ Wages and salaries and labour costs/ Earnings” in the Statistical Database in https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat.

Not requested

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 34, § 35, § 36, § 37, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act. Access to micro-data and anonymisation of micro-data are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s „Procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes”: https://www.stat.ee/en/statistics-estonia/data-protection-privacy-policy.

Data serve as input for statistical activity 50101 „Estonian regional development” and statistical activity 21108 "Gender Pay Gap".

Council Regulation (EC) No 530/1999 of 9 March 1999 concerning structural statistics on earnings and on labour costs

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1916/2000 of 8 September 2000 on implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 530/1999 concerning structural statistics on earnings and on labour costs as regards the definition and transmission of information on structure of earnings

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1738/2005 of 21 October 2005 amending Regulation (EC) No 1916/2000 as regards the definition and transmission of information on the structure of earnings

Commission Regulation (EC) No 698/2006 of 5 May 2006 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 530/1999 as regards quality evaluation of structural statistics on labour costs and earnings

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The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 34 and § 35 of the Official Statistics Act.

The treatment of confidential data is regulated by the Procedure for Protection of Data Collected and Processed by Statistics Estonia: https://www.stat.ee/en/statistics-estonia/data-protection-privacy-policy.

In 2016, there was a change in the name of statistical activity. The former name was „Earnings (hourly earnings of male and female employees)”.