Institute of Statistics Albania 

Albanian Institute of Statistics, Structural Statistics Sector, Business Statistics Department

INSTAT, "Vllazën Huta", street, Nr .3 Tiranë, Shqipëri

Structural business statistics (SBS) describes the structure, conduct and performance of economic activities, down to the most detailed activity level (several hundred economic sectors). SBS covers all activities of the business economy with the exception of agricultural activities, public administration and (largely) non-market services such as education and health. Main characteristics (variables) of the SBS data category:

•  Business demographic variables (e.g. Number of active enterprises)
•  "Output related" variables (e.g. Net turnover, Value added)
•  "Input related" variables: labour input (e.g. Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees); goods and services input (e.g. Purchases of goods and services); capital input (e.g. Gross investments)

Currently, SBS survey collect data on the variable “Turnover” broken down by type of residence of client and the work is focused on Non-response and Quality issues. In order to ensure that all annual data items covered by the SBS Regulation are included in the questionnaire, for the reference year 2023 the SBS questionnaire was revised by including the question of the breakdown of turnover by products (for required services activities)

The annual regional statistics have been produced from the 2016 reference year, but the detailed level of production of the three characteristics due by NUTS-2 country region cannot still be detailed on NACE Rev 2 division level (2-digits) but on some aggregated groups of NACE Rev 2 division level.

The classification used for these statistics is the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities (NACE). The data are produced at the national level, broken down by activity grouped in two-digit levels of this nomenclature. Until 2012, the data were published using NACE Rev.1.1. Starting from the reference year 2013, the data are published in NACE Rev.2. A wide range of statistical classifications is used on SBS. SBS data were double reported in NACE Rev.1.1 and NACE Rev.2  for 2010-2012.

The list of classifications used in the production of Structural Business Statistics is

• Statistical Classification of economic activities NACE Rev. 2
• Statistical Classification of economic activities NACE Rev. 1.1
• EU recommendation 2003/361 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
• Law No. 43, dated October 17 2002, “For development of Small and Medium-sized enterprises”

Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE):  NACE Rev.2 is used from 2008 onwards. Key data were double reported in NACE Rev.1.1 and NACE Rev.2 only for 2008. From 2002 to 2007 NACE Rev. 1.1 was used and until 2001 NACE Rev.1

The regional breakdown of the EU Member States is based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). 

The product breakdown is based on the Classification of Products by Activity (CPA) as stated in the Regulation establishing CPA 2008 and its amending Commission Regulation (EU) No 1209/2014 (from reference year 2015 onwards).

Starting reference year 2021 onwards SBS cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96.
Until 2007 the SBS coverage was limited to Sections C to K of NACE Rev.1.1 and from the reference year 2008 to 2020 data was available for Sections B to N and Division S95 of NACE Rev.2.

From 2008 reference year the data collection Business services covers NACE Rev 2 codes: J62, N78, J582, J631, M731, M691, M692, M702, M712, M732, M7111, and M7112.
From 2013, as the first reference year, to 2020 information is published on NACE codes K6411, K6419 and K65 and its breakdown.

Structural Business Statistics in Albania comprise all active enterprises of all legal forms. The population consists of all enterprises that according to the Statistical Business Register were active in December of the reference year and they exercise their activity in one of the activities covered by SBS. Structural business statistics cover market enterprises which based on NACE Rev.2 classification, have the main activity in (B) Mining and quarrying, (C) Manufacturing, (D) Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, (E) Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, (F) Construction, (G) Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, (I) Accommodation and food service activities, (H) Transport and storage, (J) Information and communication, (L) Real estate activities, (M) Professional, scientific and technical activities (N) Administrative and support services activities, (P) Private education, (Q) Human health and social work activities, (R) Art, entertainment and recreation, (S) Other service activities (excluding S94).

SBS constitutes an important and integrated part of the new European Business Statistics Regulation N° 2152/2019

Data requirements, simplifications and technical definitions are defined in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197

Basic variables

An enterprise is: "the smallest combination of legal units that is an organizational 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 (local unit)". The relationship between an enterprise and a legal unit is therefore defined as: "the enterprise corresponds either to a legal unit or to a combination of legal units".

Employed is defined as the total number of persons who work in the observation unit including proprietors, employees and unpaid family workers.

Net sales comprise the total amount invoiced by the observation unit during the reference period, and this corresponds to market sales of goods or services supplied to third parties. Investments during the reference period include goods, whether bought from third parties or produced for own use, with a life of more than one year including non-produced tangible goods such as land.

Macroeconomic variables

Production is an activity exercised under the control and responsibility of an institutional unit (enterprise), which combines the sources of labour forces, capital and raw materials to produce goods and perform services.

The value of production is based on: Incomes from the sale of goods and services (turnover) realized by the enterprise: 4 (±) Changes in stocks of work in progress, finished goods and work on contract (±) Changes in goods and services purchased for resale in the same condition as received (-) Purchases of goods and services purchased for resale in the same condition as received (+) Capitalized production (+) Subsidies.

Intermediate consumption represents the value of products or services transformed or consumed during production. The uses of fixed assets in work are not taken into consideration.

Value added at basic prices is calculated as the difference between production value and intermediate consumption.

Enterprise is both the observation and target unit. National data and the data broken down by size class of the number of persons employed both refer to enterprises.

The statistics comprise all active enterprises in Albania, of all legal forms. The population consists of all enterprises that, according to the statistical business register were active in December of the reference year in economic activities covered by SBS excluding:

• Local units
• Enterprises with the main activity code (NACE) that are out of the scope of the SBS survey.
• Public enterprises in Education (NACE 85) and Health (NACE 86,87,88).

Albania.

1998 is the first reference year for SBS implementation and the period between 1998 until 2001 was a transitional period for SBS implementation. The data set is more complete and comparable starting from the reference year 2002 onwards. Until the reference year 2010, data are available in NACE Rev.1.1. Starting with the reference year 2010, data is available in NACE Rev.2.

Not applicable.

• Number of enterprises and number of local units are expressed in units.

• Monetary data are expressed in millions of Lek.

• Employment variables are expressed in units.

• Per head values are expressed in thousands of Lek per head. 

Ratios are expressed in percentages.

SBS data refers to a calendar year. This report is based on the reference year 2022.

The national legal basis on which “Structural Business Statistics” is based consists of:

• National Statistical Law No.17/2018 on Official Statistics;
• Official Statistics National Program for the period 2022-2026,

INSTAT carries out all statistical activities in accordance with the respective EUROSTAT regulations. The results of structural statistics of enterprises in order to be comparable to those of European countries are produced by applying the new European Commission Regulations:

•  Regulation (EC) No. 1893/2006 for "Implementation of NACE Rev.2 in Structural Business Statistics".
•  Regulation (EC) No. 250/2009 for "Definitions used in Structural Business Statistics".

Structural business statistics have started to be transmitted to EUROSTAT since reference 2017. The data for 2019-2021 are transmitted, validated and published on the Eurostat website. INSTAT currently completes a series of questionnaires of international organizations regarding the results of the annual structural survey, to the European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, OECD, etc. 

The data collected are considered strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes and scientific research in accordance with the national Statistical Law No.17/2018 “On Official Statistics”, date 10.03.2018 and Law no. 9887, dated 10.03.2008 "Personal Data Protection", Article 31 of the Law on Official Statistics clearly define that all statistical information collected by INSTAT is confidential and may only be used or published in such summary tables that do not identify the information of the unit. Direct identification is called when a statistical unit is directly identified by its name, address, or any officially recognized identification number. When data processing is performed in such a way as to enable the data subject to be identified, the data must be coded immediately so that the entities are no longer recognized.

Albanian Institute of Statistics protects and does not disseminate data it has obtained or it has access to, which enables the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units. Albania Institute of Statistics takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means that might reasonably be used by a third party. Statistical data that could potentially enable the identification of the statistical unit is disseminated by the Albanian Institute of Statistics if and only if:

a) these data have been treated, as it is specifically set out in the Regulation, in such a way that their dissemination does not prejudice statistical confidentiality or

b) the statistical unit has given its consent, without any reservations, for the disclosure of data.

The confidential data that are transmitted to the Albanian Institute of Statistics are used exclusively for statistical purposes and the only persons who have the right to have access to these data are the personnel engaged in this task. Issues referring to the observance of statistical confidentiality are examined by the staff working at the Albanian Institute of Statistics. The responsibilities of this staff are to recommend on:  which detailed level the statistical data can be disseminated, so as the identification, either directly or indirectly, of the surveyed statistical unit is not possible; the anonymization criteria for the microdata provided to users; the access granting to researchers on confidential data for scientific purposes.

In SBS data are excluded Name/Surname, date/month/year of birth, workplace and the employer’s name and address. Primary confidentiality is flagged on either too few enterprises (where the number of units is less than 3), or if the dominant share of the largest two units is 85% 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.

Announcements about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. The announcements and delays are pre-announced in this calendar. In the case of delays, the date of the next publication and the explanation of the reasons for the delays are specified.

The Calendar of Publications is available on the INSTAT website: Calendar | Instat

 In line with the article 34 of Law No.17/2018 “On Official Statistics” as amended, the INSTAT disseminates statistics on INSTAT website and other media for simultaneous access, respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The following dissemination channels are used to release the results:

• Website – online release,
• Written requests, (by mail or email);
• Results of Structural Survey of Economic Enterprises

Data request, session available for external users

The dissemination of SBS data is done on annual basis.

The press release contains information related to four main indicators, number of enterprises, number of employed, turnover and investments. The format of the press release has not been changed; it is defined by the publication sector as well as the date of release. Press releases of SBS are published online at the INSTATs website: Structural Business Statistics

The SBS results are published in the Statistical Yearbook. Users can find the results on the INSTAT website:

• Figures
• Statistical Yearbook

All the information is available in both Albanian and English language. Since 2011, the Pc-Axis system is provided external users on the web a longer time series data from SBS 2002 reference year. You can access the database as follows: Database

Data bases at micro level are not published due to confidentiality reasons. Aggregated data is the only type of data that is provided to external users. Even the micro data are not published they can be accessed based on the article 34, point 17 of the low No. 17/2018, “On official statistics”.

Users can submit specific requests for data from the SBS survey through a dedicated section for Contacts.

A short explanation related to the definitions of the main concepts and methodological explanations are provided to users in the end of press releases and publications. Additional support information is given to internal users when needed or required. Also the methodological notes are published at INSTATs website as following: Methods.

The structural business statistics unit document all the work process and procedure for the SBS for internal purposes.

INSTAT is committed to ensure the highest quality with respect to the compilation of statistical information. In accordance with the Statistics Law, INSTAT use statistical methods and processes in compliance with internationally recognized scientific principles and standards conduct ongoing analyses of the statistics with a view to quality improvements and ensure that statistics are as up to-date. In performing its tasks it follows the general principles of quality management from the European Statistics Code of Practice. INSTAT declares that it takes into account the following principles: impartiality, quality of processes and products, user orientation, employee orientation, effectiveness of statistical processes, reducing the workload for respondents.

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.

Users of SBS are classified as external and internal.

• External users are:
  • Ministries and public administrations that uses these data for economic and social policy planning purposes.
  • Universities (teachers/graduate and post-graduate students), research organizations.
  • National and international NGOs.
  • Private firms
  • General public which gets the information via mass media through publications made by Statistical Office.

The printed publication is sent to a fix group of SBS users. Some main indicators are sent to European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, OECD, etc.

• Internal users are those within the institution of INSTAT.
  • National Account Directory
  • Short-Term Statistics Sectors
  • Statistical Business Register
  • Employment and wages Sector

Geoinformation Sector

Page Views (Hits) about “Structural Business Statistics” in 2023, for SBS data 2022 refernce year are around 4.245 clicks.

INSTAT conducts every year the User Satisfaction Survey. The 2023 survey results show that the overall quality of the topic "Structural Business Statistics" was rated 3.95 (79.1%) on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good).

The degree of completeness of the data, for the Structural Business Survey (SBS) 2022 is estimated at around 80 %.

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, INSTAT corrects or confirms the data using emails or by calling the respondents. Measures taken by INSTAT each year, to increase response rates or to reduce the impact of non-response by imputing them are as follow:

• Data are collected directly from the enterprise
• The information is collected by face-to-face interview from enumerators based on the instructions prepared for this purpose.
• The enumerators staff is trained how to handle difficult respondents.
• In Albania, it is not established a system of postal address, so for reducing the number enterprises which are unable to be located, INSTAT stuff and enumerators calls the enterprises to fix a date of interview and to better explain the location of the enterprises.
• Priority is given to larger businesses. When these enterprises refuses to respond to interviewer, an official request in particular is directed for the president of enterprises and signed by INSTAT director general; it is also done for enterprises that require only this way to give the information.
• The enterprises are invited to contact the Statistical Office in case of questions and always qualified staffs are available to answer the enterprises calls.

The large enterprises are rewarded with printed publications of INSTAT.

The error due to probability sampling is estimated for more important indicators: Net sales, Employed and Total number of enterprises at section level and total country level, which you find reflected in Annex1. All indicator values are weighted to represent the population.

Unit non-response takes in consideration enterprises that are unable or unwilling to give the answers, when interviewers are unable to find the enterprises address, when other barriers exist to complete the interview, or when it is not possible to obtain information from other administrative sources about the enterprise. The unit non-response rate for Structural Business Statistics 2022 is 15.5 %. Item non-response rate for the main variables of Structural Business Statistics 2022 are: for Turnover is 3.0% and for Number of employed is 1.2 %. Over coverage is possible when a unit is registered in the activity under observation, but it actually performs some other activity, which is not the subject of observation. Over coverage rate for Structural Business Statistics 2022 is 2.5%.

The results of the “Structural Business Survey” are published on the INSTAT website approximately 411 days after the end of the reference period (T + 411 days). The reference period of the SBS 2022 results is 31 December 2022.

SBS Survey data are published based on the publication calendar.

The SBS 2022 national publication has been punctual in time in 100%.

SBS Final data for the reference year 2022 were transmitted to Eurostat with few days of delay.

INSTAT uses methodological aspects that are based on concepts and definitions and guidelines of  EU regulation 2019/2152 on European business statistics (EBS regulation) and Implementing regulation 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements (general implementing act pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152). Therefore Albanian national SBS statistics could be comparable with EU countries or candidate countries.

Related to the reference period, Albania use calendar year which corresponds to the fiscal year. The population consists of all enterprises that, according to statistical business register were active in December of the reference year.

The classification of enterprises is done based on Classification of Economic Activities, NACE Rev.2 according to Regulation (EC) No. 1893/2006 for “Implementation of NACE Rev. 2 in Structural Business Statistics”.

Until now statistical unit in SBS has been enterprise, since it corresponds with legal unit in Albania.

Due to the implementation of NACE Rev 2, SBS data has a breakdown of time series. SBS statistics are provided annually and are comparable from 1998 until 2013. Time series exists since 1998 (as reference year) but the data from year 2002 onwards are more reliable.

Based on NACE Rev 1.1 classification the SBS data are comparable from 2002 to 2012, providing a comparability of 12-year time series (CC2=Jlast-Jfirst+1=11).

In NACE Rev 2 the SBS data are provided from 2010 onwards, providing a comparability of 12-year time series (CC2=Jlast-Jfirst+1=12).

From 2010 onwards are added two new activities (Private health and education) and is excluded fishing. For the other activities, SBS data are comparable over the years.

Data on Structural business statistics can be found in the following related domains: short-term statistics (STS), labour cost statistics, labour force survey (LFS). In these collections data similar to SBS can be found, but it should be noted that methodological differences exist which can explain inconsistencies. Apparent inconsistencies between SBS data and the data from labour cost statistics, labour force survey and short term statistics have been examined. For example the employment statistics in SBS data differs with them of labour force survey due to the methodological aspects used. In LFS persons are asked if they have been occupied in a job for the reference year while in SBS enterprise is asked for the number of persons employed. SBS data are compared with STS data for the “Turnover” variable. This is done regularly to see the tendencies and to have comparable data.

The internal consistency of the data is checked before it is finalised. The links between variables are checked and coherence between different data internal series confirmed.

Persons working for SBS are:

• Total staff in Central Office: 5 employees
• Staff in Regional Offices: 11 employees,

Interviewers, Controllers, Operators (not permanent staff of INSTAT): 227 Interviewers +10 Controllers + 11 Operators

Revision policy of SBS is done in accordance with general revision policy and errors treatment policy introduced by INSTAT.

•  Statistical Revision Policy
•  The error treatment policy

Preliminary data until the publication of the final results are under review. Review means the continuous completion of data. The accuracy of the published data may increase as a result of the changes made possible by the provision of more complete and qualitative new data, which contribute to the improvement of the preliminary results, published according to the deadlines set in the publication calendar.

SBS does general revisions on the data due to:

• The implementation of new NACE classification
• Changes in methodology
• Revision of weights (new and/or improved data sources, corrections of errors)

SBS tries to follow the standard guidelines and principles in the revisions done in collaboration with technical assistance. All the revisions are made transparent to the users and are part of each publication.

Survey is the only source of data collection. The basis of the selection is the updated register of enterprises, which were active in December of the reference year. The following are excluded from this register:

• Local unit
• Enterprises with activities out of scope of SBS coverage
• State-owned enterprises in Education (NACE Rev. 2 85) and Health (NACE Rev. 2 86, 87, 88).

In this way the Frame is created, which has a total of 118,741 enterprises from which a sample with a size of 18,242 enterprises was selected.

The selection method used is "Stratified Systematic Random Sampling (SRS)". Stratification is mainly based on NACE Rev.2, 2 digits level and on enterprise size (number of employees). For the selection of the SBS sample; it was revised to extend the coverage of the activity of the economic activities that have a big impact in Albanian economy. 

Classification of enterprises by activity is done according to the Nomenclature of Economic Activities, NACE Rev.2.

The classification of enterprises by size is done according to the number of employed (measured as full-time employed).

For enterprises with 1-9 employed, a sample was selected for the survey. Enterprises with 10 or more employed were exhaustively surveyed.

The method used to distribute the sample across strata is the "Neyman Allocation" method, in publishing domains.

The data are collected on a yearly basis.

SBS is collected by face-to-face interview by printed questionnaires. The necessary software and procedures for manual entry are prepared already when preparing for data collection. At that time the procedures and software needed are tested and are done with eventual corrections. All data are integrated into a single database after data entry and controls are done. The SBS survey has four questionnaires for four main activities (industry, construction, trade and services). Before conducting a survey the subject matter expert specifies and analyses which are the needs and requests. Based on the results of those needs and requests, it is done the survey design is prepared all the infrastructure needed.

Important phase in the preparation for data collection is the preparation of all the necessary materials and the preparation of data entry software. The sample is divided among enumerators; the enumerators are selected and trained. At the training the enumerators receive the prepared materials (guideline of questionnaire, enumerator’s tasks, list of economic activity, list of products, notification letter for enterprises etc.). At the data collection process are recorded all the information reported by enterprises, eventual missing data are supplemented. In case of lack of clarity, the reporting unit is contacted. In case of non-reporting, the reporting unit is re contacted by the subject matter staff or an official letter is sent in request of the unit. Key respondents are treated with priority. This sub-process is one of the key stages in the statistical process since correct communication with reporting units and appropriate controls in data collection, especially monitoring and eliminating non-response, contribute to greater quality of collected data.

As regards the level of data, the data editing procedures can broadly be divided into data editing at micro level. In data editing at micro level procedures are implemented at the level of individual units, i.e. at the level of micro data.

1. Data editing in the questionnaire.

• Control of incoming questionnaires, Completeness checks, valid values checks, range checks, and logical control of the questionnaire. The controller staff have the program to check the mathematical control of the questionnaire. The number of incoming questionnaires should be equal to the number of distributed questionnaires in the prefectures.
• Individual checks are done for the cases of refusal and no contacts (response indicator).
• The answered active enterprises are checked for the coherence of data given in different sessions of the questionnaire.
• Checking economic activity and identification sessions.

2. Controlling the coherence of data with the administrative sources.

3. An appropriate weight is calculated for each unit that reported its data.

This weight is calculated for various reasons: unequal probability of selection, nonresponse, adjustment to population values, and model estimation. Outlier treatment is taken into consideration during the weighting procedure.

For the data compilation, there are three basic procedures:

1.      Quality of data

There are applied some rules for analyzing quality of data:

• Mathematic control of the questionnaire · Logic control of the questionnaire’s data
• Comparison of time series data · Comparison of data with other files available in INSTAT
• Comparison of data with balance sheet file
• Determination of some ratios’ limits, for example, average wages and salaries per employee, margin per turnover, etc.
• Analyse of huge deviations from average.

 2.      Treatment of non-response

Are considered as all cases of:

• Non-contact
• Full refuse
• Partial refuses (for different tables and indicators). The treatment of partial non-response is done using direct methods or their combinations such as:
• Study of time series of enterprise and sector data;
• Data from balance-sheet file;
• Data from Social payment file;
• The information from other files available in INSTAT;
• Average data of the sector where the enterprise is included are analyzed and used;
• Data from enterprises that have similar conditions are used;
• Method of average structure, especially for expenditures is used;

 3.      Re-weighting procedure

For the untreated part the re-weighing method is used.

Programs in SAS Software, Macro Clan are used for re-weighing and data estimation. The estimation is done according to the traditional Horvitz-Thompson method (also known as the π evaluator), which is applied from the design stage of SRS.

Not applicable. No seasonal adjustments are made to the SBS data

Below the estimates at section level and country total for the key indicators: Turnover, Number of Employees and Persons Employed and Total Number of Enterprises together with the respective Coefficient of Variation.

Annex 1