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Labour costs survey - NACE Rev. 2 activity (lcs_r2)

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National Reference Metadata in ESS Standard for Quality Reports Structure (ESQRS)

Compiling agency: Statistics Estonia

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The Labour Costs Survey (LCS) has been carried out six times in Estonia, but the survey is still not very known or used in Estonia.

Labour cost statistics provide a comprehensive and detailed picture of the level, structure and short-term development of labour costs in the different sectors of economic activity. All statistics are based on a harmonised definition of labour costs.

Structural information on labour costs is collected through four-yearly Labour Cost Surveys (LCS), which provide details on the level and structure of labour cost data, hours worked and hours paid. LCS results are available for the reference years 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

The data are collected by stratified random samples of enterprises with at least 1 employee. The stratification is based on economic activity, size category and region. Information on staff, hours worked and hours paid is quoted in aggregate and separately for full- and part-time employees.

Not Applicable

Labour Costs refer to the total expenditure borne by employers for the purpose of employing staff. They include employee compensation, which is mainly comprised of gross wages and salaries in cash and in-kind and employers' social security contributions, vocational training costs, other expenditures such as recruitment costs and spending on working clothes, and employment taxes regarded as labour costs minus subsidies received.

These labour cost components and their elements are defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1737/2005 of 21 October 2005, implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 530/1999 concerning structural statistics on earnings and labour costs as regards the definition and transmission of information on labour costs.

For some variables, data is not available due to missing elements in particular components.

Hourly labour costs are annual labour costs divided by the number of hours worked during the reference year.

Monthly labour costs per employee are the annual labour costs divided by 12 and by the average number of employees during the year (converted into full-time equivalents).

The statistical unit is the enterprise.

List of economically active units (excl. economic units without salaried employees). The list is generated from the Business Register for Statistical Purposes.

LCS applies to all activities in sections A to S (including section O) of NACE Rev.2 and represents all statistical units occupying 1 and more employees.

Estonia as a whole.

Not Applicable

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

Not Applicable

After data review, the data of non-responding enterprises are replaced within the completely enumerated part of the population. For estimating population totals, the sample data are grossed up separately in each stratum. The expansion factor is the ratio of each subpopulation to the number of respondents in that stratum. After that, the aggregate indicators are calculated.

Survey Data

The total population is 85,000 objects. The sample includes 6,000 objects. All statistical units with 50 and more employees are surveyed. For enterprises with less than 50 employees, stratified simple random sampling by a 2-digit code of economic activity (EMTAK) and size group of enterprise is used.

Administrative Data

Administrative data from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board are used.

Data from Other Statistical Activities

Data from the survey “Wages and Salaries” are used.

Not Applicable

 See 7.1.1 and 7.1.2.

The definitions and classifications used in Estonia comply with international definitions and classifications ensuring international comparability of data.

Compared with previous LCS, no changes made in definitions, coverage and methods.

The data are comparable over time.