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.
The main objective of the Structure of Earnings Survey (SES) is to provide insight into the structure of earnings, i.e. to obtain data about different monthly and annual wage components (earnings, annual bonuses, earnings related to overtime, special payments for shift work, paid hours, paid overtime hours, annual days of holiday leave, etc.) and on the average hourly earnings, according to the characteristics of the enterprise in which employees work (size of the enterprise, economic activity, type of ownership, etc.), as well as according to the individual characteristics of employees (sex, occupation, education, age, length of service in the enterprise, type of employment contract, etc.).
2.2. Classification system
The following classifications were used in the encoding and processing of data obtained by the SES:
Classification of Economic Activities - KD BiH 2010 (CA 2010) that is, in its content and structure, comparable to the EU Classification of Economic Activities NACE Rev.2 and to the United Nations Classification of Activities (ISIC Rev.4);
Classification of Occupation KZ BiH 2008 that is, in its content and structure, comparable to the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08).
2.3. Coverage - sector
The target population covered by the survey includes all enterprises (businesses and legal entities) in Bosnia and Herzegovina that employed at least 10 employees and were active in 2022, operating in any economic activity defined in sections B to S of the CA (2010).
The survey refers to employees who were under an employment contract in October 2022, whether it was for a fixed or indefinite period of time, as well as employees who worked on the basis of the contract on performing temporary and occasional jobs (regardless of whether they worked full-time or part-time) and who received earnings for October 2022. The employees who were not included in the survey were the ones in enterprises employing fewer than 10 employees, as well as the employees in section A - Agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Data are available by size classes of enterprises (corresponding to the number of employees): 10 to 49 employees, 50 to 249, 250 to 499, 500 to 999, and 1 000 or more employees.
2.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Employees are all persons who had a direct employment contract with the enterprise in October 2022 and received remuneration for the same reference month, whether the contract was for a fixed or indefinite period of time, as well as persons who worked under the contract on performing temporary and occasional jobs, regardless of whether they worked full-time or part-time.
Annual ernings means all payments to employees on which the corresponding tax and contributions are paid. The annual salary consists of: payments for full-time, shorter-than-full-time or longer-than-full-time work (overtime), arrears or salary differences, allowances for on-call work, night and shift work, work on Sundays and holidays, bonuses, regular monthly bonuses, compensation for transportation costs for getting to and from work, compensation for meals during work, as well as compensation for unworked hours (annual vacation, paid leave, holidays, sick benefits as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), absence due to professional development, downtime in work that was not caused by the fault of the worker).
The earnings do not include remunerations: for sick benefits as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), for time spent on business trips in the country or abroad, for accommodation and meals during work and stay on the field, for costs of funeral services, damage due to injury at work or professional diseases, nor other benefits to which tax and contributions are not to be paid. Also, the earnings do not include wages earned for work abroad.
Total annual bonuses include the sum of all quarterly and annual bonuses in the gross amount (bonuses that are not paid every month). They include bonuses paid on the basis of periodic and final accounts, thirteenth salary, recourse for using annual leave and other periodic incomes that have the character of earnings, as well as jubilee awards and severance pay to employees upon retirement or whose work has ceased to be necessary.
The number of days of annual leave represents the number of days of annual leave to which the employee was entitled in the reference year, regardless of whether these days were used or not.
The total gross monthly income of the employee includes the gross salary for October 2022 (regardless of the month in which the payment was made), a compensation for meals and transportation during work for October 2022 of the reference year. Bonuses paid in the reference month, allowances for overtime hours, as well as allowances for shift or night work, work on Sundays or holidays, etc., if any.
Special allowances for shift work, night work and work on Sundays and holidays represent part of the total amount of wages paid for October. In accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) 1738/2005, allowances for overtime, shift or night work, work on Sundays or holidays are shown separately.
The number of paid hours is the total number of hours for which the employee was paid in the reference month (October 2022). Paid hours include hours actually worked, hours not worked, and paid overtime hours. Hours not worked but nevertheless paid are paid hours which the employee did not work due to annual holiday leave, public holidays, paid sick leave as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), professional training, etc.
The number of paid overtime hours is the number of paid overtime hours which the employee performed outside the contracted working hours, at the request of the employer.
Average gross hourly earnings are defined as the ratio of the monthly earnings paid to the employee for October 2022 and paid hours for the same month.
Note: All statistical concepts and definitions are harmonized with the requirements of Council Regulation 530/1999, the Commission Regulations 1916/2000 and 1738/2005, and the SES 2022: Implementing Arrangements.
2.5. Statistical unit
Statistical unit is enterprise.
The observation units are active business/legal entities, which have 10 or more employees in the reference year. The data is collected for business/legal entities as a whole, and not according to the corresponding units in the composition.
2.6. Statistical population
The Structure of Earnings Survey covers all persons in paid employment having employment contract with the enterprises selected in the SES sample. The survey did not cover persons working based on work agreements or author's contracts, contracts with juveniles and students employment services, pupils and students in training.
2.7. Reference area
Bosnia and Herzegovina
2.8. Coverage - Time
The first Structure of Earnings Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina was conducted for the reference year 2022, with October as the reference month.
2.9. Base period
No based period.
3.1. Source data
Sampling frame
The target population consists of all enterprises located in Bosnia and Herzegovina that employed at least 10 employees and were active in October 2022, covering NACE Rev.2 activity sections B-S. The sampling frame was selected from the Statistical Business Register (SBR), which is the most appropriate available source for the sampling frame in the BHAS.
Sampling frame for SES 2022 consists of 9,480 enterprises that fulfil above mentioned criteria.
Sample
Two stage stratified sampling was used in the process of selecting sample. At first stage enterprises based on the following 3 criteria: NACE Rev. 2 activity division, size of an enterprise and administrative region were selected from the sampling frame. Stratification of the targeted population according to 3 stratification criteria is presented in the attached document (Number of units and employees in the frame and in the sample.xlsx). The final size oa a sample is 3,549 enterprises. Second stage of sample selection was done on the field, by respond units selected in the sample – enterprises were asked to select employees for which they were then asked to deliver requested data. Clear explanations on how to select employees were provided in the questionnaire.
The survey is carried out through the Structure of Earnings Survey form (web questionnaire, electronic questionnaire - Excel and paper questionnaire), which is filled in by each business/legal entitiy included in the sample. The research is conducted in a four-year dynamic. The main source for collecting data are accounting documentation of business /legal entities on paid gross salaries and other labor costs, as well as records of human resources services on employees and other incomes. The form is filled in for the business/legal entitiy as a whole, more precisely in the sum for all organizational parts, regardless of whether they are located at the same or different address.
3.4. Data validation
Data collected with the questionnaire were validated through a set of logical controls including the validation rules from the SES implmenting arragments 2022.
3.5. Data compilation
Not requested.
3.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
4.1. Quality assurance
Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina follows the principles in The European Statistics Code of Practice (ES CoP) and The Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF) and other standards and quality management.
4.2. Quality management - assessment
Through all phases of data production, main quality aspects are controlled by statisticians, sample and IT experts.
5.1. Relevance - User Needs
Key users of the Labour Market statistics data are: Council of Ministers of B&H, Directorate for Economic Planning, Directorate for European Integration; Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, IMF, researchers, media, employer’s associations, trade unions, etc.
5.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not assessed.
5.3. Completeness
The methodological settings of this survey are based on the recommendations and definitions of the European statistical office EUROSTAT and the Regulations of the Council of the EU and the European Commission (Council Regulation (EC) No. 530/1999, Commission Regulations (EC) No. 1738/2005 on amendments to Regulation (EC) No. 1916/2000).
5.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not available.
6.1. Accuracy - overall
The survey is based on a random sample so that sampling error is present in the results. The main non-sampling errors are coverage, non-response, measurement and processing errors.
The design and organization of the survey, as well as the data collection and processing methods, ensure sufficient overall accuracy. The sample design is such that the estimates for the main domains are of satisfactory precision.
The following non-sampling errors exist in this survey:
coverage errors that are due to existing time lag in registering the changes of enterprise characteristics (economic activity of an enterprise, number of employees);
errors that are a consequence of including in the sampling frame only enterprises with 10 or more employees;
measurement and non-response errors are inevitable, but the process of data collection and data entry are controlled to reduce these errors.
6.2. Sampling error
The sampling design ensures results of satisfactory precision for the estimates of parameters by main estimation domains ((CA 2010) sections and divisions, size classes of the enterprises).
The sampling weight is corrected for non-response.
Coefficient of variation of main target variables Gross earnings for the reference month and Average gross hourly earnings in the reference month are calculated for different individual breakdowns. On the level of the Bosnia and Herzegovina estimates of the coefficient of variation for variables 4.2 (Gross earnings for the reference month) and 4.3 (Average gross hourly earnings in the reference month) are 0.85% and 0.87%, respectively.
For CA (2010) sections the coefficients of variation (CV) vary from 1% to 8,4%, most being less than 4% for B42 and B43 .
For occupation level, most coefficients of variation are below 2%, for age groups the coefficients of variation vary from 1% to 1.3% except for 65+ (17%). By size of the enterprise, the CV is the lowest for the E50_249 size class (1.1%) and the biggest for the E1000 size class (2,8%).
The response rate for enterprises was 78,5%.
6.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Please see the attached document Coefficients of variation in the Annex with tables on the estimated coefficients of variation for variables 4.2 (Gross earnings for the reference month) and 4.3 (Average gross hourly earnings in the reference month) by: sex, CA (2010) sections of activities; occupation; age groups and by size class of the enterprise.
The units of over-coverage, determined not to belong to the target universe for the survey, are those for which the response is: closed, extinguished; blocked, not working; outside the scope of the survey (does not perform the selected activity); bankruptcy; liquidation; has not paid wages for October 2022 and had less than 10 employees.
The over-coverage rate for the Bosnia and Herzegovina or the level of enterprise is 2.6% and for employees is 1.2%. The over-coverage rate is the highest among the enterprises in the CA (2010) section S – Other service activities and equals 12.7% for enterprises and 8.7% for employees.The over-coverage rate exist only for the enterprises 10 to 249 employees and is 4.6% for enterprises with 10-49 employees and 0.2% for the enterprises 50 to 249 employees. The reason for over-coverage is that the business had less than 10 employees.
The under-coverage cases were not detected.
6.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
In total there was 2.6% of over-coverage among enterprises and 1.2% among employees. Higher over-coverage (5.3% and 3.5% respectively for enterprises and employees) in the size class of enterprises with 10 to 49 employees is because of the usual fluctuation of employees among the smallest enterprises with less than 15 employees.
Please see the attached document "Over-coverage rate" in the Annex with tables on over-coverage rate by size classes of enterprises and by CA (2010) sections.
Respondents were not allowed to send the electronic questionnaire until they filled in all the mandatory fields and corrected all "serious" errors - mathematically and logically incorrect data, so that the measurement error was reduced to a minimum. Also, employees in statistical institutions entered data from the received printed questionnaires into a computer application that has built-in logical control. In order to correct the observed errors, the reporting units were contacted.
6.3.3. Non response error
Non-response units are in-scope units for which data were not collected. Non-response units are those for which the response is refuses to submit a report.
The average non-response rate for the level of enterprise is 23,5%. The non-response rate is the highest among the enterprises in the CA (2010) section S – Other service activities (37,0% for enterprises) and section I – Accommodation and food service activities (34,8% for enterprises).
6.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
The overall unit response rate was 76.5%.
To treat non-response in the estimation process re-weighting was used, i.e. weights were corrected for non-response.
In order to reduce the non-response, the following measures are undertaken: the reporting units could transmit data via web questionnaire, printed and electronic questionnaire (Excel application), written and e-mail reminders were sent and the reporting units were contacted by telephone.
In order to reduce non-sampling errors caused by human factors, the following measures are undertaken:
Data collected using paper forms are entered into a program that performs 'controlled data entry.' During this phase, the program prevents the entry of data with 'hard' errors.
In the next step, additional logical checks are applied to all collected data (from both electronic and paper forms
Data editing is based on the analysis of statistical experts and results in the correction of discovered errors.
If necessary, reporting unit is contacted in order to get correct data.
Please see the attached document Non-response rate in the Annex with tables on unit non-response rate by size classes of enterprises and by CA (2010) sections.
First release of SES 2022 for B&H were published on our website in June 2024.
7.1.2. Time lag - final result
Microdata of the SES 2022 were sent to Eurostat 18 months after the reference period.
7.2. Punctuality
Preliminary data were published according to the plan of the Agency for Statistics in 2024 in June.
7.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
8.1. Comparability - geographical
Comparison with results in the European Statistical System is possible, because the survey was carried out in accordance with the Regulations of the European Commission No. 530/199, 1916/2000 and 1738/2005.
8.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
8.2. Comparability - over time
For the first time, the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted the Structure of Earnings Survey in 2023 for the reference year 2022.
8.2.1. Length of comparable time series
SES 2022 is the first SES survey ever conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
8.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not available.
8.4. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not available.
8.5. Coherence - National Accounts
The only data source possible for comparison with the Structure of Earnings Survey (SES) is the regular Monthly Survey on Persons Employed and Wages (RAD-1). A cross-domain comparison is provided in the attachment. For the purpose of this analysis, data on monthly gross earnings per employee for October 2022 from both surveys were compared.
Microdata for external users are available at the request of the user in accordance with the principles defined by the Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Users can submit their request to the e-mail address: info@bhas.gov.ba.
9.5. Dissemination format - other
Not available.
9.6. Documentation on methodology
Beside this quality report, the survey questionnaire and guidelines explain in detail survey methodology.
9.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
9.7.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not available.
9.7.2. Metadata - consultations
Not available.
Not available.
11.1. Confidentiality - policy
The obligation to protect individual data is based on the Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina, No. 26/04 and 42/04, Law on Statistics of the Federation of BiH, (Official Gazette of FBiH, No. 63/03 and 9/09) and the Law on Statistics of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska, No. 85/03).
11.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not available.
Not applicable.
The main objective of the Structure of Earnings Survey (SES) is to provide insight into the structure of earnings, i.e. to obtain data about different monthly and annual wage components (earnings, annual bonuses, earnings related to overtime, special payments for shift work, paid hours, paid overtime hours, annual days of holiday leave, etc.) and on the average hourly earnings, according to the characteristics of the enterprise in which employees work (size of the enterprise, economic activity, type of ownership, etc.), as well as according to the individual characteristics of employees (sex, occupation, education, age, length of service in the enterprise, type of employment contract, etc.).
Not Applicable
Employees are all persons who had a direct employment contract with the enterprise in October 2022 and received remuneration for the same reference month, whether the contract was for a fixed or indefinite period of time, as well as persons who worked under the contract on performing temporary and occasional jobs, regardless of whether they worked full-time or part-time.
Annual ernings means all payments to employees on which the corresponding tax and contributions are paid. The annual salary consists of: payments for full-time, shorter-than-full-time or longer-than-full-time work (overtime), arrears or salary differences, allowances for on-call work, night and shift work, work on Sundays and holidays, bonuses, regular monthly bonuses, compensation for transportation costs for getting to and from work, compensation for meals during work, as well as compensation for unworked hours (annual vacation, paid leave, holidays, sick benefits as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), absence due to professional development, downtime in work that was not caused by the fault of the worker).
The earnings do not include remunerations: for sick benefits as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), for time spent on business trips in the country or abroad, for accommodation and meals during work and stay on the field, for costs of funeral services, damage due to injury at work or professional diseases, nor other benefits to which tax and contributions are not to be paid. Also, the earnings do not include wages earned for work abroad.
Total annual bonuses include the sum of all quarterly and annual bonuses in the gross amount (bonuses that are not paid every month). They include bonuses paid on the basis of periodic and final accounts, thirteenth salary, recourse for using annual leave and other periodic incomes that have the character of earnings, as well as jubilee awards and severance pay to employees upon retirement or whose work has ceased to be necessary.
The number of days of annual leave represents the number of days of annual leave to which the employee was entitled in the reference year, regardless of whether these days were used or not.
The total gross monthly income of the employee includes the gross salary for October 2022 (regardless of the month in which the payment was made), a compensation for meals and transportation during work for October 2022 of the reference year. Bonuses paid in the reference month, allowances for overtime hours, as well as allowances for shift or night work, work on Sundays or holidays, etc., if any.
Special allowances for shift work, night work and work on Sundays and holidays represent part of the total amount of wages paid for October. In accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) 1738/2005, allowances for overtime, shift or night work, work on Sundays or holidays are shown separately.
The number of paid hours is the total number of hours for which the employee was paid in the reference month (October 2022). Paid hours include hours actually worked, hours not worked, and paid overtime hours. Hours not worked but nevertheless paid are paid hours which the employee did not work due to annual holiday leave, public holidays, paid sick leave as defined by the Law on Labor in the Entities (30 or 40 days), professional training, etc.
The number of paid overtime hours is the number of paid overtime hours which the employee performed outside the contracted working hours, at the request of the employer.
Average gross hourly earnings are defined as the ratio of the monthly earnings paid to the employee for October 2022 and paid hours for the same month.
Note: All statistical concepts and definitions are harmonized with the requirements of Council Regulation 530/1999, the Commission Regulations 1916/2000 and 1738/2005, and the SES 2022: Implementing Arrangements.
Statistical unit is enterprise.
The observation units are active business/legal entities, which have 10 or more employees in the reference year. The data is collected for business/legal entities as a whole, and not according to the corresponding units in the composition.
The Structure of Earnings Survey covers all persons in paid employment having employment contract with the enterprises selected in the SES sample. The survey did not cover persons working based on work agreements or author's contracts, contracts with juveniles and students employment services, pupils and students in training.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Not Applicable
The survey is based on a random sample so that sampling error is present in the results. The main non-sampling errors are coverage, non-response, measurement and processing errors.
The design and organization of the survey, as well as the data collection and processing methods, ensure sufficient overall accuracy. The sample design is such that the estimates for the main domains are of satisfactory precision.
The following non-sampling errors exist in this survey:
coverage errors that are due to existing time lag in registering the changes of enterprise characteristics (economic activity of an enterprise, number of employees);
errors that are a consequence of including in the sampling frame only enterprises with 10 or more employees;
measurement and non-response errors are inevitable, but the process of data collection and data entry are controlled to reduce these errors.
Not Applicable
Not requested.
Sampling frame
The target population consists of all enterprises located in Bosnia and Herzegovina that employed at least 10 employees and were active in October 2022, covering NACE Rev.2 activity sections B-S. The sampling frame was selected from the Statistical Business Register (SBR), which is the most appropriate available source for the sampling frame in the BHAS.
Sampling frame for SES 2022 consists of 9,480 enterprises that fulfil above mentioned criteria.
Sample
Two stage stratified sampling was used in the process of selecting sample. At first stage enterprises based on the following 3 criteria: NACE Rev. 2 activity division, size of an enterprise and administrative region were selected from the sampling frame. Stratification of the targeted population according to 3 stratification criteria is presented in the attached document (Number of units and employees in the frame and in the sample.xlsx). The final size oa a sample is 3,549 enterprises. Second stage of sample selection was done on the field, by respond units selected in the sample – enterprises were asked to select employees for which they were then asked to deliver requested data. Clear explanations on how to select employees were provided in the questionnaire.
Comparison with results in the European Statistical System is possible, because the survey was carried out in accordance with the Regulations of the European Commission No. 530/199, 1916/2000 and 1738/2005.
For the first time, the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted the Structure of Earnings Survey in 2023 for the reference year 2022.
