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National reference metadata

Germany

Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.

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Service producer prices

National Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)

Compiling agency: Federal Statistical Office (destatis)

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This indicator is part of the overall STS indicator system which supports business cycle observation. The producer price index for services (SPPI) is defined as an output price index for the service production of resident producers. The index relates to the production of those services that may constitute the principal or secondary activity of an industry.

23 May 2024

Real producer prices (excluding VAT) cannot be collected for all sub-sectors of the above-mentioned economic divisions. For some of the sub-sectors, estimates from other price statistics are included in the NACE-2-digit index. This is currently done for sub-sectors that are very small in terms of their turnover significance or whose product portfolio is very inhomogeneous. The calculation of the producer price index for base year 2021 bases on the price development of approximately 750 products.

Planned changes in information collected occur in connection with rebasing procedures.

Producer prices for services are reported by legal units.

The target population of the SPPI survey are the kind-of-activity units that belong to the economic sectors mentioned above. As the statistical business register cannot provide this unit, the KAUs are approximated by the legal units. About 3550 legal units out of all legal units classified in the above mentioned industries (1.4 million units) according to the German business register are providing statistical information for SPPI production.

Country as a whole.

Quarter.

The company size classes from which the sample of providers of statistical information is drawn represent at least 75% of the turnover of the respective industry. Non-response mainly occurs in context with expiring contracts. In these cases the price is estimated by well-defined compensation methods and the price representative is replaced as soon as possible.

A business census for the service sector is not available as data source for turnover by product in Germany. For many SPPI-industries, the derivation of weighting schemes is difficult due to the lack of reliable data sources. However, due to missing data it is not possible to calculate possible deviations of indices from exact values. 

With the new basis and the extended coverage under the EBS Regulation, some sub-aggregates for which no survey could be established must be estimated using related price indices from other price statistics. Some of these are not yet available for the current quarter at the time of publication of the SPPIs. Therefore, these sub-aggregates and all higher aggregates must be updated and revised as soon as possible. Apart from these sub-aggregates, the SPPI figures are very rarely revised. First releases are highly reliable. Results are normally final with the first release.

Index as a result of survey on prices.

Estimates for non-response are necessary in the case where reporting units are closed down. They rely on imputation techniques such as repeating previous prices or averaging over the whole stratum (in rare cases also averaging on the enterprise level), are used.

These techniques are only executed until replacements are found.

Estimates for grossing-up to population levels are not applicable.

The type of indices is Laspeyres which are in general re-based every five years.

The method of weighting and chaining requires three stages. First, for each price representative a simple index (price relative) is compiled as a ratio of the current price and the average price in the base year. Second, for each product an elementary index is compiled as a geometric average of the simple indices compiled at stage 1 (Jevons-Index). Third, elementary indices compiled at stage 2 are combined to aggregate indices up to the level required by STS regulation using fixed weights. These weights represent the share of each product at elementary index level in terms of turnover. This information is derived from the price surveys themselves, SBS, transport statistics and various sources for industry information of the base year.

Data on prices and values of price determining characteristics are usually collected via statistical surveys. For some service products data bases and scales of fees are used.

The frame on which the source is based is the national business register, SBS, transport statistics and other sources.

Generally, collection of data is carried out through a sample. In some cases, data collection takes place via an exhaustive coverage. Samples are supposed to represent at least 75% of the turnover of the industries. Sample size, cut-off thresholds and thresholds for exhaustive selections depend on the concentration of the industries. The sample design depends on the structure of the industry. Turnover serves as criteria for stratification.

Units with turnover less than EUR 250,000 are excluded. An exhaustive selection is made in the class with the highest turnover (differs between industries). The definition of the size classes of turnover is based on the structure of size classes of SBS in the service sector.

A fundamental revision of the samples is carried out every five years. The new samples serve for rotation of respondents and permanent adjustments due to the necessity of replacements forced by changes in the market structures.

Quarterly.

Results are published not later than 80 days after the end of the reference month. The indices are final with the exception of the aggregates, which must be supplemented by estimates that are not yet available for the current quarter at the time of publication. They become final as soon as final results are also available for the estimators. The deadline for delivering data to destatis is the 15th of the month following the reference period.

The price to be reported is valid for the middle of the reporting quarter.

SPPIs are produced according to common methodological concepts in all Member States of the European Union. Comparability of the results with those of other EU Member States is therefore ensured.

Methodological changes or the incorporation of changed sales structures take place between two regular revisions which fully guarantees comparability over time.

The SPPIs of different base years are chain-linked. Due to the introduction of new weighing schemes and methodological changes in the course of implementing a new base year, the long series of chained SPPIs are comparable to a limited extent.