State Statistical Office, Republic of Macedonia

+38923295600

Labour Market Department

Dame Gruev br.4

1000 Skopje

Republic of Macedonia

The Structure of Earnings Survey 2014 was carried out in order to collect data on employment and wage structure in the country. The survey provides data on the relation between wages which are paid to to the employees, their individual characteristics (gender, age occupation, duartion of employment, level of education, etc.) and the characteristics of the bussiness entity in which the persons are employed (economic activity,  size of the business entity, location etc.)
The survey is carried out based on the Article 26 of the Law on State statistics (Offical Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 54/97, 21/07, 51/11, 104/13, 42/14, 192/15 и 27/16) and the Programme for Statistical Surveys which refers to the period 2013-2017 (Offical Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 20/13, 24/14, 13/15 и 7/16), as well as the Council Regulation (ЕС) No.530/1999,  Comission  Regulation (ЕС) No. 1916/2000, and the Comission Regulation (ЕС) No. 1738/2005.

National Classification of Activities - harmonized with the European Classification of Activities - NACE Rev.2
National Classification of Occupations - prepared according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations ISCO-08
International Standard Clasification of Education - ISCED 11

Business entities with 10 and more employees from all economic activities defined in NACE Rev. 2 sections A to S. (NACE Sections A and O are included for national purposes)

The average gross monthly earnings for the reference month (October 2014) include all payments in cash paid to the employees before the deductions for social contributions and taxes that are paid by the employer on behalf of the employee. Bonuses, payments for overtime work, special payments for shift work for the reference month are also included in the gross monthly income. Excluded are payments not related to the reference month (October), bonuses and allowances which are not paid regularly in each pay period (example: 13th salary).

The average gross annual earnings, besides the gross monthly earnings, include all non-standard payments which are not paid regularly in some of the pay periods (example: 13th salary, holiday bonuses, quarterly and annual bonuses, etc.)

The average gross hourly earnings are the average gross monthly earnings divided by the number of paid hours for the reference month.

The average net monthly earnings for the reference month (October 2014) include all payments in cash paid to the employee after the deductions for social contributions and taxes that are paid by the employer on behalf of the employee. Bonuses, payments for overtime work, special payments for shift work for the reference month are also included in the net monthly income.Excluded are payments not related to the reference month (October), bonuses and allowances which are not paid regularly in each pay period (example: 13th salary).

The average net hourly earnings are the average net monthly earnings divided by the number of paid hours for the reference month.

Paid hours refer to the number of hours actually paid during the reference month, not the number of hours in the standard working month. Hours actually paid include all normal and overtime hours worked and remunerated by the employer during the month. Hours not worked but nevertheless paid are counted as ‘paid hours’ (e.g. for annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, paid training, paid special leave, etc.).

Paid overtime hours in the reference month (are part of the total paid hours) include those worked in addition to those of the normal or conventional working month.

Annual bonuses and allowances which are not paid in every pay period (are included in the annual gross earnings) are all periodical, non-standard bonuses and allowances which do not occur in every pay period such as: holyday bonuses, 3th salary, allowances for unused leave, productivity bonuses and profit premiums.

Annual days of holiday leave (according to the right to annual leave) refers to the number of paid days for annual holidays, excluding sick leave and public holidays, expressed in days. It relates to the annual total of all normal paid-leave days, including those granted to the employee by reason of length of service, performance of special duties, and other similar reasons.

Reporting units are business entities with 10 and more employees, classified by size and economic activity, and statistical units are employees selected by the business entities.The selection of employees is made by the following criteria: the total number of employees from the payroll in October 2014 is divided with 10, 30 or 50, according to the size of the business entity which is being interviewed. This means that if the business entity has 40 employees, then every fourth employee from the payroll is selected  (40/10=4). If the business entity has 180 employees, every sixth employee from the payroll is selected (180/30=6). If the business entity has 500 employees, then every tenth employee from the payroll is selected (500/50=10).

Business entities with 10 and more employees, from all economic activities defined in NACE Rev. 2 sections A to S. (Sections A and O are included for national purposes).

Republic of Macedonia

2014

Not applicable

The Structure of Earnings Survey 2014 was conducted using a mixed method for data collection, i.e. using data from administrative sources (Public Revenue Office and Employment agency) and sampling method.
The sample frame is designed from the data of the Statistical Business Register, updated in December 2014, i.e. the data on the business entities: identification number, NACE section, size of the entity, activity status, number of employees, etc. Business entities with 10 and more employees from all sections of the National Classification of Activities are included in the frame.

Sample
The sample consists of 3015 business entities, where small business entities select 10 employees, medium 30 employees and large business entities select 50 employees to be interviewed.
The stratification is made according to the size of the business entity (small business entities with 10-49 employees, business entities with 50-249 employees, and business entities with 250 and more employees) and according to the sectors of activities and to the regions in Republic of Macedonia.

Four-yearly

The Structure of Earnings Survey 2014 was conducted using a mixed method for data collection, i.e. using data from administrative sources, and for certain issues using questionnaires which were delivered to the reporting entities by mail, in order to obtain the answers that are subject to the survey. Regional offices were resposible for first control of the data and re-contacting the reporting entities. Later the questionnaires were delivered in the State Statistical Office for data entry.

First of all, the coverage and the response rate were checked, and than the global checks and the plausibility checks that are recommended by Eurostat were implemented.

Global checks

In data entry phase, basic logical control was made. But since data entry file later was merged with different sources, additional checks were implemented; analysis of data from Employment agency and data for 3015 business entities from Public Revenue Office was made; corrections were made with Identification numbers of employees, in order to merge and then the occupation from Agency of Employment to be checked and compared with the questionnaire.

Plausability checks

At the end validations from the document SES2014 Implementation arrangements are checked, and corrected. Later, the results were compared with SES2010 data and other statistics on wages for the reference period in order to investigate if there are any inconsistencies.

Individual data on every employee for occupation, number of hours actually paid during 2014, annual days of holiday leave, gross annual earnings and annual bonuses and allowances were collected with the questionnaire, other characteristics, such as sex and age, are generated from identification number of employees and
compilation is made from different administrative sources for variables:
Highest successfully completed level of education and training, length of service, working time, type of employment contract are taken for all employees from Agency of employment.
 Monthly data as number of hours actually paid during the reference month, number of overtime hours paid in the reference month, gross earnings for the reference month, compulsory social contributions and taxes were taken from Public Revenue Office.
After data compilation, additional validation and imputation was made. Imputation of missing variable lenght of service, which was not available in Agency of employment was made for some employees.
Weights were calculated by nacerev2 section*size class and then adjusted with non-response and used for grossing up purposes.

There are no long enough time series for seasonal adjustment.

Strategy of the State Statistical Office, http://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas_en.aspx?id=6 

Quality Policy of the State Statistical Office, http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/Politika_za_kvalitet_en.pdf

SES 2014 is first mix mode survey in SSO. Microdata are checked for completeness and consistency and it is concluded that have satisfactory quality. Standard quality criteria are described in details in folowing sections.

The data on the structure of earnings are mainly used by policy makers, government and state organs, social actors, the media, researchers and students and they are one of the basic statistical data indispensable to follow the changes on the labour market. Major foreign users of survey data are Eurostat, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, International Labour Organization etc. Generally, users are interested in the level of earnings by occupations and by different socio-demographic characteristics such as: age, sex, level of education, length of service and their impact on the situation of different occupation groups on labour market. Also Gender pay gap is one important indicator derived from SES.

Users are satisfied with SES 2014 data so far. In general, concerning users' stisfaction, survey on level of statistical area is conducted every three years, and the last survey was conducted in 2015. Report can be found here:
http://www.stat.gov.mk/Dokumenti/izvestai/IzvestajAnketaZadovNaKorisnici2015_en.pdf

All manadtory variables are compiled and transmitted to Eurostat via Edamis.The following optional variables are not available and not transmitted:affiliation of a local units to a group of enterprise, citizenship and residence, other annual days of paid absence, annual payments in kind and management position.

All mandatory variables are provided.

Accuracy of data is ensured by taking measures for reduction of frame errors with excluding of local kind of activity units, taking measures in design of questionnaire and sample. Another kind of measure is additional comparison and analysis of data before they are released. Accuracy of data is also dependable form quality of administrative sources.

Coefficients of variation are calculated and shown in percentages for variables 4.2 (Gross earnings in the reference month) and 4.3 (Average gross hourly earnings in the reference month) for different individual breakdowns.

In the tables attacheed, coefficients of variation are shown in percentages for variables 4.2 (Gross earnings in the reference month) and 4.3 (Average gross hourly earnings in the reference month) for different individual breakdowns.

Non-sampling errors are reduced by excluding local kind of activity units in the sample frame.

There is small difference between the reference and the study population in number of employees and according to that in size class of the enterprise. For national purposes data in activity A were collected and published. Possible over-coverage and under-coverage may happen because of demography of the units: births, deaths, mergers and de-mergers of old units. To avoid this to the possible rate, we used the latest updated version of the sampling frame, the business register of the State Statistical Office.

Over-coverage rate is not available.

In SES 2014, for all units from sample, there were data in the administrative sources. Part of variables were collected with the questionairre, and part were compiled from administrative sources, also there is common part of variables from both questionnaire and administrative source.

The questionnaire was made according the EU regulation and modified in 2014 acording available administrative sources. In order to reduce respondents' burden, some questions were excluded from the questionnaire.

The survey was conducted in April 2015. An information letter together with questionnaire was sent to the business entities. Data control was done during data collection by the staff in the regional offices, and later by the staff in the subject matter department in SSO.

Most of the errors were found in the identification number of employees, and corrections were neccessary for compiling the data from administrative sources. These mistakes were corrected in the data editing process. Minor errors were found in occupations when data were compared with Employment agency.

The total number of business entities that have responded is 2278, with 43660 employees.  The overall unit response rate was 75.6 % and the response rate concerning employees was 77.1 %.

Please see in the attached document the unit response rate broken down by sections of activities, size band of enterprise and by NUTS3.

Item missing was length of service B26=176/43660=0.4%

In post-data-collection process such as data entry, errors were found and corrected.

Highest successfully completed level of education and training, length of service, working time, type of employment contract are taken for all employees from Employment agency.
 Monthly data as variable number of hours actually paid during the reference month, number of overtime hours paid in the reference month, gross earnings for the reference month, compulsory social contributions and taxes are taken from Public Revenue Office.

No models were used.

There are no long enough time series for seasonal adjustment.

No revisions are made so far. In the future if it is neccessary, revision will be made in accordance with the Statistical Data Revision Policy http://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas_en.aspx?id=25

No revisions in SES 2014.

Not applicable

Data at national level were published with a press release in December 2015 which is 13 months after the reference period. Data were delivered to Eurostat in June 2016.

Press release 13 months after the reference period.

Press release 13 months after the reference period, and publication released 19 months after the reference period.

The data are published within the deadlines set in accordance with the Advance Release Calendar. Also, the data were delivered to Eurostat by the end of June 2016, no later than the deadline.

The data were delivered and released accordinng to the schedule.

There is geographic comparability of data disseminated at national and at regional level. In terms of geographical comparability with other European countries, the SES data were collected according to EU regulations with some exceptions listed below:
    -Business entities with 10 and more employees from all NACE sections are included in the survey. Section A Agriculture, forestry and fishing is included due to national needs. Local units were not included.
    -Some optional variables are not available: affiliation of a local units to a group of enterprise, citizenship and residence,other annual days of paid absence, annual payments in kind and management position.

Not applicable

The SES in Macedonia is conducted for the second time, so comparability of data is provided for all sector of activities.

2 reference periods (2010 and 2014)

SES data were compared with Average monthly gross wage paid per employee and Average monthly net wage paid per employee for the same reference period, October 2014, in different sectors of activities. Most of the data are coherent.

Data for the refernce month, October 2014 and data for the reference year, 2014 have been compared, no significant differences are found.

Data are compared with National Accounts and no significant difference are found.

Data on earnings for the reference year, 2014, and data on earnings for the reference month, October 2014 are provided from different sources (for the year from the business entities with a questionnnaire and for the month from administrative data). However, yearly data from Public Revenue Office have been compared with monthly data collected with the questionnaire and coherence is provided.

News release: Structure of earnings of employees, 2014

http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/2015/4.1.15.99.pdf

Publication: Structure of Earnings Survey, 2014

http://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/2.4.16.03.pdf

MAKStat Database available on the website of the State Statistical Office

http://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/?rxid=46ee0f64-2992-4b45-a2d9-cb4e5f7ec5ef

Nuber of hits on the website for news release are 257.

Number of hits on the website for publication are 143.

Number of hits on the tabels from MAKStat Database is 220.

Access to microdata is possible only in the safe room in the State Statistical Office upon previously submitted and approved request, and signed agreement. http://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas_en.aspx?id=22

SES 2014 data are sent to Eurostat and published on their website. Gender pay gap will be published in MAKStat database.

Methodological explanations are published on the website of the State Statistical Office,         
http://www.stat.gov.mk/MetodoloskiObjasSoop_en.aspx?id=113&rbrObl=14
Methodological explanations are also published in the publication Structure of Earnings Survey, 2014, http://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/2.4.16.03.pdf

ESQRS report prepared and sent to Eurostat.

All applicable metadata elements are provided.

Not available

Considering that certain variables needed for the survey were obtained from administrative sources and the questionnaire was shortened, the burden on respondents was reduced compared with Structure of Earnings, 2010.

Individual data are protected by the State Statistics Law. Statistical confidentiality policy contains the basic principles applied in the State Statistical Office.

Aggregated data are published to ensure statistical confidentiality by: region: 8 regions; economic activity, restricted to NACE Rev. 2, one digit level; size of the enterprise by number of employees, 10-49, 50-249, 250 and more; age: restricted to 10 size classes; occupation published at ISCO-08, two digit level.

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