Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sector for Business Statistics, Department for Industry, Construction, Science, Technology and Innovation statistics

Zelenih beretki 26, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Data on the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage and e-commerce in enterprises are survey data. They are collected by the National Statistical Institutes or Ministries and are in principle based on Eurostat's annual model questionnaires on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.

Large part of the data collected is used to measure the progress in the implementation of one of the main political priorities of the European Commission for 2019 to 2024 – A Europe fit for the digital age. Part of this is the "European strategy for data", envisioning a single market for data to ensure the EU's global competitiveness and data sovereignty, in which context a comprehensive set of new rules for all digital services was proposed: the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which are centrepieces of the EU digital strategy. Furthermore, the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy presented a new “EU cybersecurity strategy”, which is intended to bolster the EU's collective resilience against cyber threats, safeguard a global and open internet and protect EU values and the fundamental rights of its people. Furthermore, data will allow monitoring the progress towards  A Europe fit for the digital age, one of the six priorities for the period 2019-2024 of the von der Leyen European Commission.

The aim of the European survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises is to collect and disseminate harmonised and comparable information at European level.

 EU NACE Rev. 2 classification of activities and national Classification of activities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (KD BiH 2010), fully harmonized with EU NACE Rev.2. 2008

All economic activities in the scope of Annex I of the Commission Regulation are intended to be included in the general survey, covering enterprises with 10 or more employees and self-employed persons. These activities are: NACE Rev. 2 sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M and N, division 95.1.

For micro-enterprises see the sub-concepts below.

Micro enterprises are not included in the survey.

The model questionnaire on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides a large variety of variables covering among others the following areas:

-          Access to and use of the Internet

-          E-commerce and e-business

-          Data utilization, sharing, analytics and trading

-          ICT specialists and skills

-          Use of cloud computing services

-          Artificial Intelligence

-          Other topics: Invoicing.

The annual model questionnaires and the European business statistics compliers’ manual for ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises comprise definitions and explanations regarding the survey topics.

The reporting units are enterprises with 10 or more employees registered within these economic activities: NACE Rev. 2 sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M and N, division 95.1., according to the Classification of Activities (KD BiH 2010) : 

- Section D, E – “Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply” “Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities”;

- Section F – “Construction”;

- Section G – “Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles”;

- Section H – “Transportation and storage”;

- Section L – “Real estate activities”;

- Section M – “Professional, scientific and technical activities”;

- Section N – "Administrative and support service activities";

- Group 95.1 – “Repair of computers and communication equipment”

Target Population

As required by Annex of the Commission Implementing Regulation, enterprises with 10 or more employees and self-employed persons shall be covered by the survey.

For micro-enterprises see the sub-concepts below.

Not applicable

Data refer to the entire territory of the Bosnia and Herzegovina country.

Years 2022 and 2023.

Not applicable

Percentages of enterprises, Percentages of turnover, Percentages of employees and self-employed persons, Million Euro.

The reference periods defined in the questionnaire were followed 

Complementary national legislation constituting the legal basis for the survey on the use of ICT in enterprises: 

- Law on Statistics of BiH (Official Gazette of BiH No. 26/04 and 42/04), and laws on statistics of the entity statistical institutions. The Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina is responsible for data collection, data processing, and data publishing at the state level (BiH level) as well as for the implementation of methodologies in all three statistical institutions in BiH in a unique way;

- Multi-annual statistical work programs for BiH (2021 - 2024) and Annual Work Plan of BiH for 2023;

- Strategy for development of statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2030;

-  Data delivery/sharing between the Institutes of Statistics from the entities (Republic of Srpska Institute for Statistics and the Institute of Statistics of the Federation of BiH) and the Agency for Statistics of BiH is regulated by Laws on statistics as well as Agreement on data sharing between all three statistical institutions;

- Data sharing to external users (state institutions) in the country are regulated by Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina No. 26/2004 and 42/2004 and other laws which regulate the work of state institutions

- Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat);

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), 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.

At national level : 

The confidentiality of statistical data is regulated by law and the staff carrying out the statistical survey has the obligation, according to the same legal basis, to protect confidentiality. The Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette BiH 26/04 and 42/04 - Chapter XI - Articles 23-29) establishes the principle of confidentiality as one of the main principles.
The Agency for Statistics of BIH distributes statistics in accordance with the statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice, and in particular in accordance with the principle of statistical confidentiality.

Data are transmitted via eDamis (encrypted) and delivered to a secure environment where they are treated. Flags are added for confidentiality in case results must not be disclosed.

At national level : 

The document "Rules on the Protection of Statistical Data in the Agency for Statistics" lists procedures for ensuring confidentiality during collection, processing and dissemination - including protocols for securing individual data being accessed, rules for defining confidential cells in output tables and procedures for the detection and prevention of subsequent disclosures as well as access to microdata for research purposes. Confidential data are hidden and not shown in publications. 

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Dokumenti/pdf/RULEBOOK_DATA_PROTECTION_BHAS.pdf

The release calendar for statistical publications in BiH is published in advance for the entire year and it contains detailed information about all publications planned to be published. In December every year, the Agency for statistics of BIH publishes on a website a calendar with accurate dates and times of publication of statistics for the next year.  The calendar is published on the website in four language versions (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and English languages) and in pdf format. The deadline for publishing ICT ENT is 31st October

The release calendar for Statistical Press Releases in BiH for 2023 is available at the following link: http://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar/?lang=en

All publications are published in accordance with the defined release calendar on the exactly specified date, at 11 o’clock, on the Agency’s website.  If publishing of the publication will be delayed, the relevant information with a detailed explanation shall be posted on the website and a new date/time shall be published.  All publications intended for users are available in 4 languages, that is, 3 local languages plus the English version.  Users shall not have access to new data prior to their official publication on the Agency’s website, nor is it possible for them to be granted access to data earlier. The principle that all users should have equal access to statistical data on an unbiased base is stipulated in Article 8, paragraph (2), subparagraph h) and Article 19, paragraph (2) of the Law on Statistics of BiH, and the Agency for statistics of BiH strictly comply with it in practice.

Data on ICT usage in enterprises are disseminated annually. 

National dissemination of results

Thematic bulletin on the use of Information and Communication Technology in Bosnia and Herzegovina is published on the website of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

https://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar/Category/29 (currently available for 2022 reference year)

The first release of preliminary results on ICT usage and e-commerce in Enterprises for Bosnia and Herzegovina is published on the website of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the following link:

https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Saopstenja/2023/IKT_04_2023_Y1_1_BS.pdf 

National dissemination of results for Bosnia and Herzegovina:

THEMATIC BULLETIN (Final results)

- USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (last available thematic bulletin for the reference year 2022: https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Bilteni/2023/IKT_00_2022_TB_1_BS.pdf)

Special publication - Bosnia and Herzegovina in Figures:

-  BiH in figures – section Information and Communication Technologies: https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Bilteni/2023/NUM_00_2022_TB_1_BS.pdf

See detailed section 10.3.1.

Results for selected variables collected in the framework of this survey are available for all participating countries on Digital economy and society of Eurostat website.

At the national level :

Currently, there is no available online database for INFOSOC statistics to users on the website of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There is no microdata access granted to the users.

Data on ICT are published in MS Excel format: https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/VremenskeSerije/IKT_04.xls

There is no available this kind of information because there is no software solution implemented for counting the web hits.

https://bhas.gov.ba/Calendar/

Not requested

A quality report for the 2023 reference year has not been produced yet. This report is expected to be published in December 2023 on the website of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

The European businesses statistics compliers’ manual for ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides guidelines and standards for the implementation of the surveys. It is updated every year according to the changed contents of the model questionnaires.

At national level :

The Methodological Manual provides guidelines and standards for the implementation of the surveys. It is updated every year according to the changed contents of the model questionnaires. More information about quality are provided in the following link: https://bhas.gov.ba/Content/Read/92?title=Kvalitet

European level :

At European level, the recommended use of the annual Eurostat model questionnaire aims at improving comparability of the results among the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Moreover, the Methodological Manual provides guidelines and clarifications for the implementation of the surveys.

National level :

The Methodological Manual for statistics on the Information Society Statistics provided by Eurostat is only used.

European level : 

At European level, European Commission users (e.g. DG CNECT, DG GROW, DG JUST, DG REGIO, DG JRC) are the principal users of the data on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises and contribute in identifying/defining the topics to be covered. Hence, main users are consulted regularly (at hearings, task forces, ad hoc meetings) for their needs and are involved in the process of the development of the model questionnaires at a very early stage.

User needs are considered throughout the whole discussion process of the model questionnaires aiming at providing relevant statistical data for monitoring and benchmarking of European policies.

National level :

Key users of the statistical data of the survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH, the Central Bank of BiH, and the Regional Cooperation Council. Data users are also business entities, the media, and the public.

European level : 

At European level, contacts within the Commission, the OECD and other stakeholders give a clear picture about the key users' satisfaction as to the following data quality aspects: accuracy and reliability of results, timeliness, satisfactory accessibility, clarity and comparability over time and between countries, completeness and relevance. Overall users have evaluated positively (good, very good) the data quality on the ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.

National level :

There is no specific user satisfaction survey conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.

Detailed information is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

Not requested. Any relevant qualitative information is available in the column “Any deviation from question/item in the model questionnaire” in the “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file.

Comments on reliability and representativeness of results and completeness of dataset

These comments reflect overall standard errors reported for the indicators and breakdowns in section 13.2.1 (Sampling error - indicators) and the rest of the breakdowns for national and European aggregates, as well as other accuracy measurements. The estimated standard error should not exceed 2pp for the overall proportions and should not exceed 5pp for the proportions related to the different subgroups of the population (for those NACE aggregates for the calculation and dissemination of national aggregates). If problems were found, these could have implications for future surveys (e.g. need to improve sampling design, to increase sample sizes, to increase the response rates).

More detailed information is available in “ Annex II. _ Accuracy “ excel file - related to European aggregates, comments on reliability and use of flag.

For calculation of the standard error see 13.2.1.1.

Standard error (for selected indicators and breakdowns)

Precision measures related to variability due to sampling, unit non-response (the size of the subset of respondents is smaller than the size of the original sample) and other (imputation for item non-response, calibration etc.) are not (yet) required from the Member states for all indicators.  Eurostat will make basic assumptions to compute these measures for all indicators produced (e.g. stratified random sampling assuming as strata the crossing of the variables “Number of employees and self-employed persons” and “Economic Activity” as it was defined in the 3 tables of section 18.1).

More detailed information is available in“ Sample and standard error tables 2023 “ excel file – worksheets starting with “Standard error".

Calculation of the standard error

Various methods can be used for the calculation of the standard error for an estimated proportion. The aim is to incorporate into the standard error the sampling variability but also variability due to unit non-response, item non-response (imputation), calibration etc. In case of census / take-all strata, the aim is to calculate the standard errors comprising the variability due to unit non-response and item non-response.

See detailed sections below.

See concept 18.1.1. A) Description of frame population.

Over-coverage rate  0,00%

Not requested

  No measurement errors found

See detailed sections below.

See detailed sub-concepts below.

The following table contains the number of units (i.e. enterprises), by type of response to the survey and by the percentage of these values in relation to the gross sample size.

The survey is promoted through local media, and the websites of three statistical institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, reporting units are informed by official letters that the survey will be conducted.  

Not applicable.

Item non-response rate is not calculated. 

Other comments relating to the item non-response

No processing errors were detected.

Not requested

See detailed section below.

Not applicable

European level : 

Data are to be delivered to Eurostat in the fourth quarter of the reference year (due date for the finalised dataset is 5th October). European results are released before the end of the survey year or in the beginning of the year following the survey year (T=reference year, T+0 for indicators referring to the current year, T+12 months for other indicators referring to the previous year e.g. e-commerce).

At national level : 

Data are released in October for the survey year.

 See detailed section below.

Delivery to Eurostat is done on 3rd October 2023

The model questionnaire is generally used by the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Due to (small) differences in translation, in the used survey vehicle, in non-response treatment or different routing through the questionnaire, some results for some countries may be of reduced comparability. In these cases, notes are added in the data.

The surveys on the use of ICT in enterprises were conducted in full compliance with the requirements and regulations of the European Commission. The reference year is also harmonized with the European countries as well as the variables collected and to be transmitted to Eurostat.

Detailed information on differences in the wording of the questions in the national questionnaires is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

Not applicable

See section below.

The length of comparable time series depends on the module and the variable considered within each survey module. Additional information is available in annexes attached to the European metadata.

There are no changes in the survey from the previous year(s) that may have an impact on the comparability over time of the results delivered to Eurostat.

Not applicable

 Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

There is no official revision policy adopted by BHAS. However, there are internal rules defined for the correction of errors that occur occasionally. BHAS employees make efforts to reduce errors before the data release. Corrections of errors are indicated with a note pointing out page, table number etc. where the data are corrected. A list of corrections is provided which clearly indicates which publication has an error. 

Procedures for handling errors of the released data are adapted to the gravity of the error. Excluding proofing/printing errors, the basic procedure following the detection of an error is as follows:

1. a correction of a detected error, and reissuing the data/publications or corrigenda only in case of a larger publication on the BHAS website in the shortest period possible

2. a notice stating the case of an amendment next to the link with the revised data or a notice stating the availability of the corrigenda in cases of larger publications together with the release date of amended data

If an error is detected and corrected on the day of the release, the correction notice must state the precise release time of the correction. Corrections of proofing/printing errors shall be made without issuing a correction notice. 

 Not requested

A) Frame population description and distribution

For more information see concept 18.1.1.

B) Sampling design - Sampling method

Description of the sampling method used (e.g. stratified random sample, quota sampling, cluster sampling; one-stage or two-stage sampling) and information which variables were used to stratify, the categories of those variables, in particular for the NACE Rev. 2 categories related to the "possible calculation of European aggregates", and the final number of strata: 

 The combined sampling method and full coverage were used, depending on the number of employees, i.e. For enterprises with fewer than 100 employees, a stratified random sample was used, while for the rest (number of employees> = 100) a full coverage was taken. The allocation of units within the strata was made using the variability of the number of employees per stratum for the entire target population. The maximum was applied between Neyman's allocation and the obtained Neyman average and the proportional allocation. After this initial allocation, a rule of 10 units per stratum was applied to reduce the number of strata with a small number of units

C) Gross sample distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: GROSS SAMPLE)

D) Net sample distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: NET SAMPLE)

A) Description of frame population

 B) Frame population distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: FRAME POPULATION)

Annual

See detailed sections below.

Data for the Survey on the use of ICT enterprises are collected by using the CATI method, and by mail. The data are collected directly from the selected reporting units from the sample through a telephone interview or by sending a questionnaire to businesses via mail

Data quality checks are done by manual revision of questionnaires and procedures of logical control. Collected data are first checked and verified during the process of data entering. After that quality checking is carried out by using a set of strict manual and electronic logical and calculation controls. Reports that fail to meet the quality standards are subject to verification and are corrected as required.

Obtained results from the actual reporting period are compared with the previous and the corresponding reporting period of the previous year. 

Before sending data to Eurostat, data was verified on the Acceptance platform of eDAMIS.

Grossing-up procedures

Correction of initial weights is usually done, taking into account non-response.

Estimates were calculated by using the "survey" package (containing functions for calculating HT estimates) within the "R" environment.

Not applicable.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Problems encountered and lessons to be learnt: