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.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
[4D1_F3] Eurostat - Labour market and skills
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
31 January 2014
2.2. Metadata last posted
31 January 2014
2.3. Metadata last update
31 January 2014
3.1. Data description
This data collection has been discontinued in 2012. Data is only available up to reference year 2011.
Annual data on average gross earnings and related employment are included in the Gross earnings - Annual data collection.
Data are available for EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Data are also broken down by:
From reference year 2008 onwards average gross annual earnings per employee are provided
by economic activity (NACE Rev.2 aggregates and sections B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, B_TO_E, B_TO_F, B_TO_N, B_TO_S_NOT_O, B_TO_S, G_TO_J, G_TO_N, G_TO_S_NOT_O, K_TO_N, P_TO_S and O_TO_S)
for enterprises with 1+ and for enterprises with 10+ employees for the following breakdowns:
FTU= full-time units, FT=full-time workers, PT=part-time workers by Total, Men and Women.
Before 2008: data is broken down by economic activity (NACE Rev. 1.1 for Sections C to K and the C-E, C-F, G-I, J-K, G-K, C-K and for some Member States L, M-O, L-O and also C-O aggregates)
occupation (ISCO-88 classification, one-digit level and the 1-5 and 7-9 aggregates)
The data relate to the staff of enterprises having at least 10 employees in most countries.
Countries provide these annual data using several statistical sources mainly the four-yearly SES, the EU Labour Force Survey and/or administrative data.
3.2. Classification system
The following breakdowns are provided:
by geographical classification
by economic activity (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Union - NACE)
by gender
by full-time / part-time employment / full-time equivalent units
Before 2008: by occupation (International Standard Classification of Occupations, 1988 version (ISCO-88) at one-digit level and the 1-5 and 7-9 aggregates).
Data disseminated refers to the economic activity classification NACE Rev. 2 from reference year 2008 onwards. Where available, the time series includes back casts in NACE Rev. 2.
For periods up to reference year 2008, data were compiled using the previous classification NACE Rev. 1.1 and are disseminated in separate tables.
Series up to 2008 are broken down by NACE Rev. 1.1 at section level for sections C to O and the C-E, C-F, C-K, C-O, C-O (excl. L), G-I, G-K, J-K, M-O aggregates.
The main differences between NACE Rev. 1.1 and NACE Rev. 2 are to be found in the more detailed breakdown of the services sectors, on the one hand, and the less detailed breakdown of the manufacturing sector, on the other hand.
3.3. Coverage - sector
NACE Rev. 2 sections B to S (NACE Rev. 1.1 sections C to O).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The earnings data should relate to all enterprises, i.e. enterprises with 1 or more employees and enterprises with 10 and more employees.
If it is only possible to provide data on other bases (e.g. excluding irregular payments, or covering different enterprise sizes than the ones mentioned above) a description of the coverage of earnings and enterprises should be provided by the countries.
The basis for the calculation of average gross annual earnings is those of employees that have been employed for a full year. The employees that have not worked for a full year because they joined or left the company during the year should be excluded, unless the country has a good basis for making upward adjustments to their earnings.
Information is provided on average annual gross earnings and related employment.
Gross earnings cover remuneration in cash and in kind before any tax deductions and social security contributions payable by wage earners and retained by the employer. Average annual gross earnings shall include all bonuses and other payments not regularly paid in each pay period (severance paiments and termination pay are excluded). Earnings data are expressed in euro, national currencies and Purchasing Power Standard (PPS). The latter takes into account the price level differences across countries. Information on employment is expressed as head counts and in Full-Time Units.
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical unit is the enterprise or local unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The population consists of all units having 1+ employees, although it is at present still confined to enterprises with at least 10 employees in most countries.
3.7. Reference area
Data are available for EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The time coverage is annual from 1995 up to 2011. This data collection has been discontinued in 2012.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable
Earnings data are expressed in euro, national currencies and Purchasing Power Standard (PPS). Information on employment is expressed as head counts and in Full-Time Units.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The collection of annual gross earnings data are based on a Gentlemen's agreement.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
EU regulation on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Countries inform Eurostat if any confidential data shall be disclosed by flagging the respective data cells. This is done on the basis of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), which stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
Please consult free data in Eurostat's on-line database (Gross earnings - historical data (earn_gr_hist) ).
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Refer to Annex
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Refer to Annex
11.1. Quality assurance
On arrival at Eurostat, gross earning data from countries are checked for completeness and consistency.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not applicable
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Not available.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
Not all countries provide data for all variables and/or for all NACE sections and aggregates.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Eurostat carries out specific coherence and plausibility checks. The aim of these checks is to detect inaccurate, inconsistent or implausible data. Outliers in time series or inconsistencies with other data sources are analysed. If a potential problem is detected, the country involved has to check and to change or confirm the figures; in the latter case, a further explanation on the underlying economic development is often delivered.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Countries are asked to transmit their reference year (t) data in Autumn of year t+1. The data are immediately made available for general distribution, subject to favourable checks.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Comparability of data across national borders may be affected by the use of different observation units and definitions, methods or classification schemes.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability over time may be affected by new definitions and classifications used.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Structural Business Statistics (SBS, annual data) and the Labour Force Survey (quarterly data) are surveys that partly measure similar or identical variables, such as "number of employees" or "wages and salaries". Whilst the National Accounts (NA) and the Labour Cost Survey (LCS) are closely related, certain coherence problems should be taken into account when comparing data relating to the same variables from the four different sources (LCS, SBS, Structure of Earnings Survey (SES), NA).
15.4. Coherence - internal
See: 14.1 Overall accuracy.
Not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
These historical data are no longer updated nor revised.
17.2. Data revision - practice
These historical data are no longer updated nor revised.
18.1. Source data
Annual Earnings data are obtained using several statistical sources, mainly the four-yearly SES, the EU Labour Force Survey and/or administrative data.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Yearly.
18.3. Data collection
The data are either collected or estimated by the National Statistical Institutes on the basis of surveys and administrative registers.
Eurostat sends a formal data collection request (including a data template) via email, highlighting what and by when data and metadata should be sent.
Countries provide data and metadata to Eurostat via EDAMIS.
In the case of "Net Earnings" data is collected and validated by OECD and sent to Eurostat for dissemination on its website.
18.4. Data validation
Data transmitted by individual countries are checked for internal consistency and coherence with earlier data. No further adjustments are made (Validation level 2).
18.5. Data compilation
Not applicable.
18.6. Adjustment
not applicable
This data collection has been discontinued in 2012. Data is only available up to reference year 2011.
For further country specific characteristics see the annexes by reference year.
This data collection has been discontinued in 2012. Data is only available up to reference year 2011.
Annual data on average gross earnings and related employment are included in the Gross earnings - Annual data collection.
Data are available for EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Data are also broken down by:
From reference year 2008 onwards average gross annual earnings per employee are provided
by economic activity (NACE Rev.2 aggregates and sections B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, B_TO_E, B_TO_F, B_TO_N, B_TO_S_NOT_O, B_TO_S, G_TO_J, G_TO_N, G_TO_S_NOT_O, K_TO_N, P_TO_S and O_TO_S)
for enterprises with 1+ and for enterprises with 10+ employees for the following breakdowns:
FTU= full-time units, FT=full-time workers, PT=part-time workers by Total, Men and Women.
Before 2008: data is broken down by economic activity (NACE Rev. 1.1 for Sections C to K and the C-E, C-F, G-I, J-K, G-K, C-K and for some Member States L, M-O, L-O and also C-O aggregates)
occupation (ISCO-88 classification, one-digit level and the 1-5 and 7-9 aggregates)
The data relate to the staff of enterprises having at least 10 employees in most countries.
Countries provide these annual data using several statistical sources mainly the four-yearly SES, the EU Labour Force Survey and/or administrative data.
31 January 2014
The earnings data should relate to all enterprises, i.e. enterprises with 1 or more employees and enterprises with 10 and more employees.
If it is only possible to provide data on other bases (e.g. excluding irregular payments, or covering different enterprise sizes than the ones mentioned above) a description of the coverage of earnings and enterprises should be provided by the countries.
The basis for the calculation of average gross annual earnings is those of employees that have been employed for a full year. The employees that have not worked for a full year because they joined or left the company during the year should be excluded, unless the country has a good basis for making upward adjustments to their earnings.
Information is provided on average annual gross earnings and related employment.
Gross earnings cover remuneration in cash and in kind before any tax deductions and social security contributions payable by wage earners and retained by the employer. Average annual gross earnings shall include all bonuses and other payments not regularly paid in each pay period (severance paiments and termination pay are excluded). Earnings data are expressed in euro, national currencies and Purchasing Power Standard (PPS). The latter takes into account the price level differences across countries. Information on employment is expressed as head counts and in Full-Time Units.
The statistical unit is the enterprise or local unit.
The population consists of all units having 1+ employees, although it is at present still confined to enterprises with at least 10 employees in most countries.
Data are available for EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
Calendar year.
Eurostat carries out specific coherence and plausibility checks. The aim of these checks is to detect inaccurate, inconsistent or implausible data. Outliers in time series or inconsistencies with other data sources are analysed. If a potential problem is detected, the country involved has to check and to change or confirm the figures; in the latter case, a further explanation on the underlying economic development is often delivered.
Earnings data are expressed in euro, national currencies and Purchasing Power Standard (PPS). Information on employment is expressed as head counts and in Full-Time Units.
Not applicable.
Annual Earnings data are obtained using several statistical sources, mainly the four-yearly SES, the EU Labour Force Survey and/or administrative data.
Yearly.
Countries are asked to transmit their reference year (t) data in Autumn of year t+1. The data are immediately made available for general distribution, subject to favourable checks.
Comparability of data across national borders may be affected by the use of different observation units and definitions, methods or classification schemes.
Comparability over time may be affected by new definitions and classifications used.
