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.
National Reference Metadata in SBS Euro-SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS) - from reference year 2021 onwards (ESSBS21)
Compiling agency: For Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: National Statistics Institute (INE). For Construction: Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. For Financial and Insurance activities: Bank of Spain. Ministry of Economy. National Statistics Institute (INE).
For Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: National Statistics Institute (INE).
For Construction: Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
For Financial and Insurance activities:
Bank of Spain.
Ministry of Economy.
National Statistics Institute (INE).
1.2. Contact organisation unit
For Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Subdirectorate General for Statistics on Economic Sectors (INE).
For Construction: General Department for Economic Programming (Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility).
For Financial and Insurance activities:
Financial Statistics Division, Statistics Department - Bank of Spain (only activities K641, K649).
General Directorate of Insurance and Pension Funds - Ministry of Economy (only activities K65, K6622 and K663).
Sub directorate General for Statistics on Economic Sectors - INE (only activities K642, K643, K661, K6621 and K6629).
1.3. Contact name
Restricted from publication
1.4. Contact person function
Restricted from publication
1.5. Contact mail address
For Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Avenida de Manoteras 50, 52. 28050 Madrid. Spain
For Construction: Paseo de la Castellana, 67. Nuevos Ministerios. 28071 Madrid. Spain
For Financial and Insurance activities: INE: Avenida de Manoteras 50, 52. 28050 Madrid. Spain
1.6. Contact email address
Restricted from publication
1.7. Contact phone number
Restricted from publication
1.8. Contact fax number
Restricted from publication
2.1. Metadata last certified
27 August 2024
2.2. Metadata last posted
27 August 2024
2.3. Metadata last update
27 August 2024
3.1. Data description
Structural business statistics (SBS) describes the structure, conduct and performance of economic activities, down to the most detailed activity level (several hundred economic sectors). SBS covers all activities of the business economy with the exception of agricultural activities, public administration and (largely) non-market services such as education and health. Main characteristics (variables) of the SBS data category:
• Business demographic variables (e.g. Number of active enterprises)
• "Output related" variables (e.g. Net turnover, Value added)
• "Input related" variables: labour input (e.g. Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees); goods and services input (e.g. Purchases of goods and services); capital input (e.g. Gross investments)
Business services statistics (BS) collection contains harmonised statistics on business services. From 2008 onwards BS become part of the regular mandatory annual data collection of SBS. The BS’s data requirement includes variable “Turnover” broken down by products and by type of residence of client.
The annual regional statistics collection includes three characteristics due by NUTS-2 country region and detailed on NACE Rev 2 division level (2-digits).
3.2. Classification system
Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE): NACE Rev.2 is used from 2008 onwards. Key data were double reported in NACE Rev.1.1 and NACE Rev.2 only for 2008. From 2002 to 2007 NACE Rev. 1.1 was used and until 2001 NACE Rev.1
The product breakdown is based on the Classification of Products by Activity (CPA) as stated in the Regulation establishing CPA 2008 and its amending Commission Regulation (EU) No 1209/2014 (from reference year 2015 onwards).
3.3. Coverage - sector
Starting reference year 2021 onwards SBS cover the economic activities of market producers within the NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N, P to R and Divisions S95 and S96.
Until 2007 the SBS coverage was limited to Sections C to K of NACE Rev.1.1 and from the reference year 2008 to 2020 data was available for Sections B to N and Division S95 of NACE Rev.2.
From 2008 reference year the data collection Business Services covers NACE Rev 2 codes: J62, N78, J582, J631, M731, M691, M692, M702, M712, M732, M7111, and M7112.
From 2013, as the first reference year, to 2020 information is published on NACE codes K6411, K6419 and K65 and its breakdown.
Data requirements, simplifications and technical definitions are defined in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197
3.5. Statistical unit
Enterprise – for country-level business statistics
The statistical unit for national data of SBS is the Enterprise as defined in line with the Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community.
"The enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit."
Until the 2017 reference year, Spain identified, for operational purposes of SBS, the statistical unit Enterprise with the Legal Unit. Thus, each Legal Unit formed an Enterprise. In accordance with the European Statistical System, from the SBS exercise 2018 onwards, the statistical unit 'enterprise' can be formed by one or several legal units. For enterprises consisting of more than one legal unit, new compilation methods, based on guidelines and recommendations of Eurostat, have been applied in order to measure the economic characteristics of the Enterprise, considering the set of their legal units and eliminating intra-enterprise transactions.
Local unit – for regional business statistics.
The local unit is an enterprise or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place. At or from this place economic activity is carried out for which - save for certain exceptions - one or more persons work (even if only part-time).
______
The observation or reporting unit is the Legal Unit. Basic information on the Legal Units comes either from direct collection (by completing questionnaires) or, increasingly, from the use of administrative sources (tax data for economic variables, and data from the Social Security for variables related to employment).
3.5.1. Treatment of complex enterprise
Data treatment
Sample frame based on enterprises
No (but see Comments)
Surveying all legal units belonging to a complex enterprise
No, for direct survey.
But to form the statistical unit Enterprise, data is obtained from each of the legal units of each sample enterprise (either by direct survey or through administrative sources)
Surveying all legal units within the scope of SBS belonging to a complex enterprise
No, for direct survey
Surveying only representative units belonging to the complex enterprise
Yes, for direct survey
Other criteria used, please specify
-
Comment
Although the sample design is based on Legal Units, the Statistical Enterprise approach is also taken into account for the determination of the sample. This results in a set of sample Legal Units and, consequently, a set of sample Enterprises. From each sample Enterprise, data is obtained for all its legal units (either through a direct survey or through the use of administrative data).
3.5.2. Consolidation
Consolidation method
Consolidation carried out by the NSI
YES (by NSI and other ONAs for sections F and K of NACE Rev 2)
Consolidation carried out by responding enterprise/legal unit(s)
No
Other methods, please specify
-
Comment
Consolidation is made using information received (from direct survey) or obtained (from administrative sources) from Legal units.
3.6. Statistical population
The target population comprises all active producer market enterprises of sections B to N, P to R and divisions S95, S96 of NACE Rev2 according to the national statistical Business Register (SBR).
Coverage: No threshold is applied regarding the size of enterprises.
3.7. Reference area
All the enterprises resident in the entire national territory of Spain are considered. Foreign affiliates resident in Spain are included. Spanish affiliates resident abroad are excluded.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Based on Legal Units: 1998-2017
Based on Enterprises: 2018-2022
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
• Number of enterprises and number of local units are expressed in units.
• Monetary data are expressed in millions of €.
• Employment variables are expressed in units.
• Per head values are expressed in thousands of € per head.
Ratios are expressed in percentages.
2022
The reference period for the data is generally the calendar year. Exceptionally, companies that operate seasonally or during campaigns that cover two different years and have their data recorded this way, provide the information of the season or campaign that finishes that year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Starting with reference year 2021 two new regulations currently form the legal basis of SBS:
The Council Regulation No 58/97 has been amended three times: by Council Regulation No 410/98, Commission Regulation No 1614/2002 and European Parliament and Council Regulation No 2056/2002. As a new amendment of the basic Regulation it was decided to recast the Regulation No 58/97 in order to obtain a new "clean" legal text. In 2008 the European Parliament and Council adopted Regulation No 295/2008 and the provisions of this Regulation were applicable from the reference year 2008 to reference year 2020. Regulation No 295/2008 was amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 446/2014.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 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
Methods of primary and secondary data confidentiality are applied by automatic procedures.
Primary confidentiality: Frequency method. Data are flagged as confidential if they are reported by less than 4 enterprises.
Secondary confidentiality: Minimize the number of suppressed cells according to the hypercube method provided by t-argus software.
For future exercises, methods that can reduce the number of confidential cells and avoid confidentiality in aggregates of activities will be analyzed and implemented.
7.2.1. Confidentiality processing
Data treatment
Confidentiality rules applied
Yes
Threshold of number of enterprises (Number)
Less than 4
Number of enterprises non confidential, if number of employments is confidential
No
Dominance criteria applied
No
If dominance criteria applied specify the threshold (Number)
-
Secondary confidentiality applied
Yes
Comment
-
8.1. Release calendar
The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
8.2. Release calendar access
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website.
Construction: The calendar is disseminated on the Ministry’s Internet website.
In addition to the annual publication of the online database, INE (for Industry, Trade and Services activities) and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (for Construction Sector) deliver to users interested in SBS other available data or details under custom requests, always protecting confidential data.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: For each of these sectors, press releases with Final Results for the reference year 2022 were published on the INE website in t+15 months (Last news release: March 15, 2024).
The microdata of SBS of Industry, Commerce, Construction and Non-financial Services are provided to the statistical offices of the Autonomous Communities of Spain, who have also the legal obligation to safeguard statistical secrecy.
Since March 2024, the terms of a new procedure are being established that would allow access to microdata for organizations and institutions dedicated to research that develop projects for scientific purposes of public interest. Such access would be carried out under the appropriate security conditions and protocols (confidentiality agreements, anonymized identifiers, secure place, etc.).
10.5. Dissemination format - other
User can demand specific information and it is released, always saving the confidentiality, under custom requests.
Also, data are transmitted to Eurostat (compilation of European aggregates) and disseminated at the level of Member States in Eurostat's database.
Annual publications include methodological notes and comments on the results to facilitate understanding of the data.
Construction: Documentation on methodology is available on the Website (electronic version) in Spanish.
Financial and Insurance activities: Not available
10.7. Quality management - documentation
INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics, which is the basis for the institution's quality policy and strategy. In addition, INE has introduced a quality assessment and monitoring system made up of a series of instruments and methods allows to measure the quality of statistical work. Some of these elements are the following:
Quality reports and indicators. Methodological description of quality reports and indicators of the different statistical products of the INE. Standardised Methodological Report for SBS Industry, Commerce and Services can be consulted (in English) at the links already indicated in section 10.6
User surveys.
Peer Review external evaluation.
For more information see the section on Quality in the INE website (in English).
The ESSCoP is made up of 15 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.
In all phases of the process of collecting, obtaining and processing information for SBS, the necessary controls are enabled to detect and correct errors in order to guarantee its quality. In the online collection of questionnaires itself, a broad set of checks have been programmed (to detect serious errors and second level errors) in order to correct/verify the data as they are entered by the user. After collection, the data are subjected to additional micro and macro-cleaning controls, considering the data from year t and t-1. The statistical results are also compared with short-term statistics and with information from administrative sources. All this allows us to guarantee high quality of the final product.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Based on Regulation 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and the Council on European business statistics (EBS Regulation), and its Implementation act 2020/1197, the Commission must evaluate the data sent by the different States members, based on the quality criteria listed in Regulation (CE) 834/2009 of the Commission on communitarian statistics. Said criteria are: relevance, accuracy, timeliness, punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability and coherence. In this regard, the States members facilitate to the Commission (Eurostat) their corresponding annual reports of metadata.
The statistics may be considered of high quality. It is based on a stratified sample design with a sample that is representative enough of the object population at national and Autonomous Community level for each size classes and activity stratum. Moreover, the data are subjected to interannual adjustment and verification criteria, as well as to comparisons with administrative register data, like the one provided in the Mercantile Register.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Main national users:
Within the INE: National Accounts, Business Register (BR), Social Statistics, Environmental Statistics, Science and Technology Statistics, Price Statistics (Output Prices for Services), CIS-R&D statistics, ICT statistics, short-term statistics, foreign direct investment etc.
Other national users: Ministries and other public institutions, Central Bank, Chamber of Commerce, Associations and professional organizations for various economic activities, Institute of Economic Research and other research institutes, Universities, Students, Media, Businesses etc.
Autonomous Communities
In general anyone interested in the economic structural analysis of Industry, Construction, Trade and Services.
External users of SBS: Eurostat (European Commission), OECD, etc..
Conceptual differences between SBS data published at national level and data sent to Eurostat:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: No differences.
Construction. National data are published under the concept of legal unit, with the aim of maintaining the comparability of the series. The differences are not important for the total values of the variables
Until the reference year 2014 included, industry data published by INE at national level were presented sectorized (100 industrial subsectors adapted to Spanish industry) according to the main activity of the local units of the industrial enterprises. From 2015 onwards, to harmonize industrial statistics with those of other sectors and with Eurostat SBS data, the criterium has been changed and data are already presented broken down by activities depending on the main activity of the enterprise.
Additional indicators published at the national level to fulfil the national needs:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services. Productivity, average salary, rate of value added, rate of personnel costs, rate of investment, rate of employees, female participation rate for employees.
Construction. With the published data, productivity indicators, average salary, rate of value added, rate of personnel cost, rate of investment, and rate of employees can be obtained.
Financial: Not available
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services. The INE conducted general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019, and plans to perform them regularly. These surveys try to obtain an average user rating of the quality of the information sector, taking into account aspects such as relevance, accuracy, punctuality, consistency and accessibility. According to satisfaction survey 2019, statistics from industry and services have a positive or very positive assessment of users in terms of relevance, accuracy, consistency and comparability.
Number of accesses in 2023 to the on-line databases:
Industry: 89,749
Trade: 64,365
Non-financial Services: 91.403
Construction: Not available
Financial and Insurance activities: Not available
12.3. Completeness
The completeness is the extent to which data are available compared with the requirements in terms of characteristics, geographical and activity breakdown, as specified in the SBS Regulation.
Availability rate: 100%. Spain provides all the data required by SBS regulations.
____
Until 2015 use of the quality flag ‘Contribution to European totals only (CETO-flag) foreseen in the SBS Regulation
Until the reference year 2015 included, in the Trade and Services Sectors, certain 4-digit activities of the NACE Rev.2 were classified as CETO (Contribution to European Totals Only) when designing the samples for these sectors. This measure, provided for in Article 8.3 of SBS Regulation 295/2008 and applicable only to a limited number of activities with a smaller weight on the totals of each sector, made it possible to mitigate as far as possible the increase in sample sizes. This implied that the results of these activities were only representative for the elaboration of aggregates at the European level and the commitment not to publish such data at the national level and, therefore, not at a more disaggregated level of Autonomous Community.
From reference year 2016 included, thanks to the reform and optimization of the sample designs, all the activities to 4 digits of the NACE Rev.2 of the sectors under study have their corresponding sample support, so it has been possible to cease applying the CETO figure. Thus, from year 2017 onwards, the publication of the final SBS data offers, for all activities not affected by confidential data, statistical results up to the 4-digit level of the NACE Rev.2.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
For non-financial activities, the SBS of Spain is obtained from sampling processes. The samples are delineated to ensure that they are representative of the target population, detailed by activities and size of the enterprises. To obtain the information for each sampling unit, a combination of direct collection on the respondents and administrative data is used.
The sampling design tries to minimize sampling errors and the processes of the statistical operation are intended to eliminate or minimize the errors in all stages (data collection, detection and correction of errors at microdata level, imputation processes, macro editing stages etc.)
The techniques used in data collection, coverage control, detection and correction of errors and the imputation of missing information allow obtaining highly reliable statistics.
13.2. Sampling error
The sampling error is estimated by the coefficients of variation. CV= square root (estimate of the sampling variance)/ estimated value.
The CVs are calculated and transmitted to Eurostat, for the main variables (220101 Number of employees and self-employed persons, 250101 Net turnover, 250401 Value added), broken down by activity (sections NACE Rev. 2) and size classes.
For size class of 250 or more employees and self-employed persons, sample is exhaustive (census), so CVs=0.
For the variable Number of active enterprises, after the calibration process to the total Population , the CVs=0.
In general, the CVs obtained by activity and size classes are low or negligible.
The computation of the CVs is performed under an ad-hoc SAS program.
More details for Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services:
A distinction is made between the sample design based on the sample of Legal Units (LUs) and the design for the sample of Statistical Enterprises (SE). The first one uses stratified random sampling. In each stratum, a random sample is obtained, except the one formed by LUs with 50 or more employees, in which all form part of the sample. Relevant units are also included exhaustively in the sample. The sample size is calculated by applying optimum allocation. The estimators are of the Horvitz-Thompson type but adjusted to the new registrations (not known at the time of selecting the sample) and calibrated to the target population.
Indirect sampling is used for the SE sample, since SE results are obtained from the sample of LUs. This is based on the methodology detailed by Lavallée and Labelle-Blanchet in their article: "Indirect Sampling applied to Skewed Population," Survey Methodology, June 2013, Vol 39, Statistics Canada.
Estimates of relative sampling errors or variance coefficients are calculated for the main variables, in certain domains. The relative sampling error, for the total estimator of Y in domain m, is given by the following expression:
13.3. Non-sampling error
The unit non-responses
Methods used for taking into account the unit non-response:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services; Since reference year 2016 all the non-response is subject to automatic imputation (based on administrative sources and/or information from previous year and/or other kind of imputations) which allows it to be borne in mind as an effective sample.
Construction: Corrector factor in the weighting procedure for imputation.
Financial: Data passes internal controls to ensure the absence of non-responses.
Measures taken or envisaged for minimizing the unit non-response:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Data collection Units make reminders by post, by email and by telephone. Different questionnaires for the small enterprises (short questionnaire) are used, in order to reduce the statistical burden for them and favor the response. The enterprises that refuse to answer the questionnaire are fined.
Construction: Agent special team.
Financial: Entities not answering accounting information are fined
The recorded unit non-response rate in the overall context is considered as:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: low
Construction: low.
Financial: Not applicable
The bias resulting from non-response is considered as:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Small bias (with a limited effect in the overall accuracy of the estimate).
Construction: Small bias (with a limited effect in the overall accuracy of the estimate).
Financial: Not applicable
Coverage errors - Frame
The impact of imperfection of the relevant business register on the quality of the key statistics is considered as:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: low
Construction: low
Financial: Not applicable
Out-of scope units
The out-of scope units are detected in collection data process itself and in the updating process of the frame. Those units represented less than 1 %
14.1. Timeliness
For each reference year t:
Direct collection through survey: from April to September t+1.
Administrative data: Social Security files are received in March t+1, and files from tax sources in September t+1.
Preliminary data in terms of enterprises are sent to Eurostat in October t+1.
The national dissemination of the Construction Sector was carried out, in terms of legal units, in December 2023.
The microdata in terms of legal units were delivered to National Accounts before April 2024
The national dissemination of final data in terms of enterprises for 2022 for Industry, Commerce and non-financial Services Sectors was carried out in March 2024.
Final data for all sectors are sent to Eurostat in June t+1.
14.2. Punctuality
All Spanish SBS series for reference year 2022 have been transmitted to Eurostat on time (before t+18 months)
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The availability of a methodology, a common collecting design and process, filtering, edition and elevation in its entire geographical scope, guarantees comparability of results among the different Autonomous Communities. Moreover, the methodological adjustment to the SBS regulation allows comparability with the rest of European Union countries which disseminate the same information for their respective scope.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Length of comparable time series
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: 1998-2008; 2008-2017, 2018-2020; 2021-2022
Financial activities: Bank of Spain 1998-2008; 2008-2017, 2018-2022;
Reasons or differences in concepts and methods of measurements for break in time series
2008: Change in NACE classification (from NACE Rev. 1.1 to NACE Rev. 2); 2008 is the double reporting year.
2018: Full implementation of the statistical unit Enterprise.
2021: Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Business Demography (BD) have harmonized their processes related to the status for 'active' enterprises, so that from this reference year 2021 the number of active enterprises for SBS and BD is equivalent for these domains. This has caused a break in the series of "Number of active enterprises". The effect of on variables other than the number of enterprises is mainly quite marginal.
2022: Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Business Demography (BD) have harmonized their processes related to the status for 'active' enterprises in construction, so that from this reference year 2022 the number of active enterprises for SBS and BD is equivalent for these domains. This has caused a break in the series of "Number of active enterprises". The effect of on variables other than the number of enterprises is quite marginal.
15.2.1. Time series
Time series
First reference year available (calendar year)
1998 (legal unit), 2018 (enterprise)
Calendar year(s) of break in time series
2008, 2018, 2021
Construction 2008, 2018, 2022
Reason(s) for the break(s)
2008: new NACE classification
2018: full implementation of the statistical unit Enterprise
2021: only for 'number of active enterprises', due to harmonization with Business Demography
2022: only for 'number of active enterprises', due to harmonization with Business Demography
Length of comparable time series (from calendar year to calendar year)
1998-2008
2008-2017
2018-2022 (except break in 2021 and 2022 for 'Number of active enterprises')
Comment
-
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Comparisons are made with other data sources or statistical domains (Business Register, Business Demography, PRODCOM, Short Term Statistics, Labour Statistics, National Accounts etc.).
The inconsistencies are evaluated and corrected as part of the manual editing process of statistics.
Regarding other sources, in general the figures are consistent but, due to methodological differences, some discrepancies are possible.
_____
From the 2021 reference year, BR (Business Registers), SBS (Structural Business Statistics) and BD (Business Demography) have harmonized their processes related to the status for 'active' enterprises, so that from this reference year the 'number of active enterprises' for SBS and BD is equivalent for these domains. Similarly, work is currently underway to better align concepts, measurements and data relating to Employed Personnel.
As regards the comparison with other statistical operations (Short term, Labour Statistics, National Accounts), some discrepancy may occur due to different methodological issues, for example, differences in statistical target population, differences in statistical units or differences in calculation of the variable (e.g. value added in National Accounts).
15.4. Coherence - internal
Coherence is an essential matter for the methodological approach of the survey as well as for its entire development process. Coherence among variables is compared in all stages of the statistical process. The aggregates are always consistent with their main sub-aggregates (e.g. the total for different size classes, NACE, NUTS, CPA etc.)
Cost. The estimation of the budgetary credit necessary to finance these statistics, as foreseen in the 2023 Annual Programme, comes to a total of (Thousand euros):
Industry: 892.08
Trade: 924.94
Non-financial Services: 1721.58
Construction: 542.33
Activities undertaken to reduce the respondents’ burden
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services:
Intensification of the use of administrative sources. Since the reference year 2012, the EEE had already been using, for a part of its sample (group sample M), methods that allow obtaining the complete questionnaire without resorting to completion by the informant, combining administrative information and imputations based on data from similar units with data ('donors') or values representative of the group to which each unit to be imputed belongs. As of 2018, the proportion of sample units obtained through these techniques has been increasing each year. This strategy has made it possible to extend coverage to Education and Health activities. without increasing the number of questionnaires, and therefore the burden on companies. Some variables related to employment are estimated using the administrative data of the Social Security system.
Formulas for cooperation with other organization and statistiscal operations are established in order to make the best use of the information available and to avoid unnecessary duplication of statistical operations. In the sample selection process, negative coordination methods are applied, that is to say, minimal overlap possible (covering the survey's objectives) between surveys samples that coexist in the same period. The sample size and the length of the questionnaires are reduced to the bare minimum.
Use of different models of questionnaires with different levels of simplification according to the characteristics of each company. Thus, small companies usually fill out a questionnaire with fewer variables and breakdowns. In all the questionnaire models we try to reduce the breadth of the questionnaires to the bare minimum.
The completion through the internet is enhanced using electronic questionnaires with questions, flows, and validations adapted to the respondents, which facilitates the completion and improves the quality of the data collected. The design of the questionnaires for the Internet are posed in such a way that they can avoid or at least minimize subsequent re-contacts with the respondents.
Construction: Simplification of questionnaires. Cooperation with other organizations. Help in completing
Financial and Insurance activities: Mandatory information
17.1. Data revision - policy
We do not foresee revisions after the sending of final data to Eurostat and the release at national level.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Preliminary data versus final data: Preliminary data was obtained from a provisional sample of enterprises. The final data was adjusted to the definitive sample of enterprises.
18.1. Source data
The production of SBS in Spain is carried out, in addition to the INE, by other public institutions/organisms that act as ONAs (Other National Authorities) for certain economic activities (sections F and K of NACE Rev2). The specific activities that are the responsibility of each data producer unit are detailed below (in terms of NACE Rev2):
• INE: All activities of Industry, Commerce and non-financial Services. Since 2021 it also includes activities K642, K643, K661, K6621 and K6629. • Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility: All activities of section F. • Bank of Spain: Activities K641 and K649. • Ministry of Economy (General Directorate of insurance and pension funds): Activities K65, K6622 and K663.
The INE acts as coordinator of the complete set of activities for SBS and FATS domains. The ONAs prepare the statistics for the activities of their respective scope and deliver them to the INE under an application that includes the detection of errors (which the ONA corrects) and the provision of justifications for the warnings detected. Finally, the INE integrates the data from all activities, summarizes the results, prepares tables required by the European regulation and carries out the official transmission of the data set to Eurostat.
Data source:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: From reference year 2012 onwards, SBS for Industry, Services and Trade sectors are compiled by combination of statistical surveys and administrative data. The proportion of sample units obtained from administrative sources has been increasing progressively. For the 2022 reference year, more than 52% of the sample units of industry, commerce and services are obtained from administrative sources, thus avoiding the statistical burden of said units.
The basic information is obtained from each Legal Unit and comes from two sources: - The questionnaires sent to the Legal Units of the selected sample. - The administrative information, of tax origin for the economic variables and of Social Security for the employment variables, available for all the Legal Units of each of the Statistical Enterprise in the sample.
Construction: Statistical survey combined with administrative sources.
Financial: Combination of statistical surveys, administrative data and mandatory information. BdE: Information collected from different sources: data collected by the Bank of Spain due to its supervisory or statistical functions, but also information obtained from other supervisors (for some of the entities under NACE6499).
Sample design: Stratified (by Activity, Employment size class, Region). Legal units with 50 or more persons employed are investigated exhaustively.
Threshold values: No thresholds are applied.
Administrative sources: For SBS the following administrative sources are used:
Tax data: Corporation Tax, VAT Tax, Income Tax
Social Security
Business Register
These administrative data are subject to several revisions with (increasing) degree of completeness. The frequency to which these used administrative data are updated is annual. For the purposes of SBS we assess this frequency as very good.
Characteristics directly available or with a proxy in the administrative source:
- Number of employees - Turnover - Production Value - Gross margin on goods for resale - Value Added at Factor Cost - Gross Operating Surplus - Purchases of goods and services purchased for resale in the same condition as received - Wages and Salaries - Social Security Costs - Change in stocks of goods and services for resale - Change in stocks of finished products and work in progress - Gross investment in land - Gross investment in existing buildings and structures - Gross investment in construction and alteration of buildings - Gross investment in machinery and equipment
Kind of administrative data accessed: Micro data
Relation between reporting units and the legal units / enterprise (statistical unit):
Reporting unit = legal unit
Statistical unit = enterprise (the enterprise can be formed by one or several legal units)
Frame
The variable used for identifying principal and secondary activities is Value added. When value added is not available, turnover or Personnel is used.
The method used for identifying activities is the Top-down method.
Frequency of updating the unit's principal activity (stability rules): Yearly
Frequency of updating the business register in our NSI: Yearly
18.1.1. Data sources overview
Data sources overview
Survey data
Yes
VAT data
Yes
Tax data
Yes
Financial statements
Yes
Other sources, please specify
Financial supervisory authority data
Comment
-
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual data collection.
18.3. Data collection
Data are collected by means of statistical surveys, business register or from various administrative sources.
Administrative sources: Information is collected from the administrative sources indicated in the section 18.1.
Statistical surveys: Information is requested by post and the questionnaire is encouraged to be completed online, which does in fact make up for 98% of the total collected questionnaires. In any case, the respondents have other response channels available (postal mail, telephone). The INE Data Collection Units are in charge of the telephone service for solving doubts the respondents may have and are also responsible for the recording and filtering of questionnaires. Anomalous errors and data are subject of revision, this way establishing whether it is necessary to re-contact the respondents by telephone.
Mandatory information. Mandatory information in part of Financial activities.
18.4. Data validation
Description of data checking and editing:
completeness checks (data integrity rules)
validity checks (internal consistency)
plausibility checks
We check the plausibility of data, namely by contacting directly the units.
The management of the questionnaires (reception, treatment, recording, validation ...) is carried out continuously by the same Data Collection Units establishing the necessary control to guarantee an appropriate quality level for the whole process. This facilitates controlling, already in this phase, the errors that may affect the data obtained from respondent units.
Additionally, during the data collection period, a coverage control of the information is carried out by the Production Unit, in order to guarantee the completeness of the recorded data, detect duplicates and coverage errors, and, at the same time, be able to carry out a first evaluation on the quality of the variables collected in the questionnaires.
During the micro-filtering process, the detection and filtering of errors and inconsistencies in the identification variables of each register as well as the filtering and imputation of content errors are carried out. Once the micro filtering phase has finished, we proceed with the tabulation and dissemination of results, obtaining the analysis tables in order to eliminate errors and inconsistencies detected via macro filtering techniques.
18.5. Data compilation
Use of statistical surveys and administrative sources
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: For a subset of the sample of Industry, Trade and Non Financial Services Sector (subset that is progressively increased each year) characteristics listed in 18.1 are estimated using administrative sources. The other characteristics, not available in administrative sources, are estimated using model-based estimation. A ratio imputation is used, based on information from previous reference period, and previous and new administrative data for this subset of the sample. Then, this subset of the sample is integrated with those obtained though the statistical surveys.
Construction: For a small subset of the Construction Sector sample, characteristics are estimated using administrative sources and, if unavailable in administrative sources, they are estimated using a ratio imputation
Financial: Survey on mandatory information
Description of imputation methods used for dealing with unit non-response:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Since reference year 2016 all the non-response is subject to automatic imputation (based on administrative sources and/or information from previous year and/or other kind of imputations as average per stratum, nearest neighbour...) which allows it to be borne in mind as an effective sample. Given that the availability of administrative data (fiscal and employment) is very complete, the effect of non-response by respondents in the direct collection sample has very little impact on the final estimates.
Construction: Corrector factor in the weighting procedure.
Inference (grossing-up and calibration)
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: We have applied non-biased estimators in stratified sampling with correction of the population for grossing-up the figures covered by the SBS Regulation. For the final estimates, and with the aim of harmonizing the SBS and Business Demography figures, calibration using CALMAR has been applied since the 2021 reference year.
Construction: Corrector factor in the weighting procedure.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable
No comments
Structural business statistics (SBS) describes the structure, conduct and performance of economic activities, down to the most detailed activity level (several hundred economic sectors). SBS covers all activities of the business economy with the exception of agricultural activities, public administration and (largely) non-market services such as education and health. Main characteristics (variables) of the SBS data category:
• Business demographic variables (e.g. Number of active enterprises)
• "Output related" variables (e.g. Net turnover, Value added)
• "Input related" variables: labour input (e.g. Number of employees and self-employed persons, Hours worked by employees); goods and services input (e.g. Purchases of goods and services); capital input (e.g. Gross investments)
Business services statistics (BS) collection contains harmonised statistics on business services. From 2008 onwards BS become part of the regular mandatory annual data collection of SBS. The BS’s data requirement includes variable “Turnover” broken down by products and by type of residence of client.
The annual regional statistics collection includes three characteristics due by NUTS-2 country region and detailed on NACE Rev 2 division level (2-digits).
Data requirements, simplifications and technical definitions are defined in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197
Enterprise – for country-level business statistics
The statistical unit for national data of SBS is the Enterprise as defined in line with the Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community.
"The enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit."
Until the 2017 reference year, Spain identified, for operational purposes of SBS, the statistical unit Enterprise with the Legal Unit. Thus, each Legal Unit formed an Enterprise. In accordance with the European Statistical System, from the SBS exercise 2018 onwards, the statistical unit 'enterprise' can be formed by one or several legal units. For enterprises consisting of more than one legal unit, new compilation methods, based on guidelines and recommendations of Eurostat, have been applied in order to measure the economic characteristics of the Enterprise, considering the set of their legal units and eliminating intra-enterprise transactions.
Local unit – for regional business statistics.
The local unit is an enterprise or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place. At or from this place economic activity is carried out for which - save for certain exceptions - one or more persons work (even if only part-time).
______
The observation or reporting unit is the Legal Unit. Basic information on the Legal Units comes either from direct collection (by completing questionnaires) or, increasingly, from the use of administrative sources (tax data for economic variables, and data from the Social Security for variables related to employment).
The target population comprises all active producer market enterprises of sections B to N, P to R and divisions S95, S96 of NACE Rev2 according to the national statistical Business Register (SBR).
Coverage: No threshold is applied regarding the size of enterprises.
All the enterprises resident in the entire national territory of Spain are considered. Foreign affiliates resident in Spain are included. Spanish affiliates resident abroad are excluded.
2022
The reference period for the data is generally the calendar year. Exceptionally, companies that operate seasonally or during campaigns that cover two different years and have their data recorded this way, provide the information of the season or campaign that finishes that year.
For non-financial activities, the SBS of Spain is obtained from sampling processes. The samples are delineated to ensure that they are representative of the target population, detailed by activities and size of the enterprises. To obtain the information for each sampling unit, a combination of direct collection on the respondents and administrative data is used.
The sampling design tries to minimize sampling errors and the processes of the statistical operation are intended to eliminate or minimize the errors in all stages (data collection, detection and correction of errors at microdata level, imputation processes, macro editing stages etc.)
The techniques used in data collection, coverage control, detection and correction of errors and the imputation of missing information allow obtaining highly reliable statistics.
• Number of enterprises and number of local units are expressed in units.
• Monetary data are expressed in millions of €.
• Employment variables are expressed in units.
• Per head values are expressed in thousands of € per head.
Ratios are expressed in percentages.
Use of statistical surveys and administrative sources
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: For a subset of the sample of Industry, Trade and Non Financial Services Sector (subset that is progressively increased each year) characteristics listed in 18.1 are estimated using administrative sources. The other characteristics, not available in administrative sources, are estimated using model-based estimation. A ratio imputation is used, based on information from previous reference period, and previous and new administrative data for this subset of the sample. Then, this subset of the sample is integrated with those obtained though the statistical surveys.
Construction: For a small subset of the Construction Sector sample, characteristics are estimated using administrative sources and, if unavailable in administrative sources, they are estimated using a ratio imputation
Financial: Survey on mandatory information
Description of imputation methods used for dealing with unit non-response:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: Since reference year 2016 all the non-response is subject to automatic imputation (based on administrative sources and/or information from previous year and/or other kind of imputations as average per stratum, nearest neighbour...) which allows it to be borne in mind as an effective sample. Given that the availability of administrative data (fiscal and employment) is very complete, the effect of non-response by respondents in the direct collection sample has very little impact on the final estimates.
Construction: Corrector factor in the weighting procedure.
Inference (grossing-up and calibration)
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: We have applied non-biased estimators in stratified sampling with correction of the population for grossing-up the figures covered by the SBS Regulation. For the final estimates, and with the aim of harmonizing the SBS and Business Demography figures, calibration using CALMAR has been applied since the 2021 reference year.
Construction: Corrector factor in the weighting procedure.
The production of SBS in Spain is carried out, in addition to the INE, by other public institutions/organisms that act as ONAs (Other National Authorities) for certain economic activities (sections F and K of NACE Rev2). The specific activities that are the responsibility of each data producer unit are detailed below (in terms of NACE Rev2):
• INE: All activities of Industry, Commerce and non-financial Services. Since 2021 it also includes activities K642, K643, K661, K6621 and K6629. • Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility: All activities of section F. • Bank of Spain: Activities K641 and K649. • Ministry of Economy (General Directorate of insurance and pension funds): Activities K65, K6622 and K663.
The INE acts as coordinator of the complete set of activities for SBS and FATS domains. The ONAs prepare the statistics for the activities of their respective scope and deliver them to the INE under an application that includes the detection of errors (which the ONA corrects) and the provision of justifications for the warnings detected. Finally, the INE integrates the data from all activities, summarizes the results, prepares tables required by the European regulation and carries out the official transmission of the data set to Eurostat.
Data source:
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: From reference year 2012 onwards, SBS for Industry, Services and Trade sectors are compiled by combination of statistical surveys and administrative data. The proportion of sample units obtained from administrative sources has been increasing progressively. For the 2022 reference year, more than 52% of the sample units of industry, commerce and services are obtained from administrative sources, thus avoiding the statistical burden of said units.
The basic information is obtained from each Legal Unit and comes from two sources: - The questionnaires sent to the Legal Units of the selected sample. - The administrative information, of tax origin for the economic variables and of Social Security for the employment variables, available for all the Legal Units of each of the Statistical Enterprise in the sample.
Construction: Statistical survey combined with administrative sources.
Financial: Combination of statistical surveys, administrative data and mandatory information. BdE: Information collected from different sources: data collected by the Bank of Spain due to its supervisory or statistical functions, but also information obtained from other supervisors (for some of the entities under NACE6499).
Sample design: Stratified (by Activity, Employment size class, Region). Legal units with 50 or more persons employed are investigated exhaustively.
Threshold values: No thresholds are applied.
Administrative sources: For SBS the following administrative sources are used:
Tax data: Corporation Tax, VAT Tax, Income Tax
Social Security
Business Register
These administrative data are subject to several revisions with (increasing) degree of completeness. The frequency to which these used administrative data are updated is annual. For the purposes of SBS we assess this frequency as very good.
Characteristics directly available or with a proxy in the administrative source:
- Number of employees - Turnover - Production Value - Gross margin on goods for resale - Value Added at Factor Cost - Gross Operating Surplus - Purchases of goods and services purchased for resale in the same condition as received - Wages and Salaries - Social Security Costs - Change in stocks of goods and services for resale - Change in stocks of finished products and work in progress - Gross investment in land - Gross investment in existing buildings and structures - Gross investment in construction and alteration of buildings - Gross investment in machinery and equipment
Kind of administrative data accessed: Micro data
Relation between reporting units and the legal units / enterprise (statistical unit):
Reporting unit = legal unit
Statistical unit = enterprise (the enterprise can be formed by one or several legal units)
Frame
The variable used for identifying principal and secondary activities is Value added. When value added is not available, turnover or Personnel is used.
The method used for identifying activities is the Top-down method.
Frequency of updating the unit's principal activity (stability rules): Yearly
Frequency of updating the business register in our NSI: Yearly
Annual.
For each reference year t:
Direct collection through survey: from April to September t+1.
Administrative data: Social Security files are received in March t+1, and files from tax sources in September t+1.
Preliminary data in terms of enterprises are sent to Eurostat in October t+1.
The national dissemination of the Construction Sector was carried out, in terms of legal units, in December 2023.
The microdata in terms of legal units were delivered to National Accounts before April 2024
The national dissemination of final data in terms of enterprises for 2022 for Industry, Commerce and non-financial Services Sectors was carried out in March 2024.
Final data for all sectors are sent to Eurostat in June t+1.
The availability of a methodology, a common collecting design and process, filtering, edition and elevation in its entire geographical scope, guarantees comparability of results among the different Autonomous Communities. Moreover, the methodological adjustment to the SBS regulation allows comparability with the rest of European Union countries which disseminate the same information for their respective scope.
Length of comparable time series
Industry, Trade and Non-financial Services: 1998-2008; 2008-2017, 2018-2020; 2021-2022
Financial activities: Bank of Spain 1998-2008; 2008-2017, 2018-2022;
Reasons or differences in concepts and methods of measurements for break in time series
2008: Change in NACE classification (from NACE Rev. 1.1 to NACE Rev. 2); 2008 is the double reporting year.
2018: Full implementation of the statistical unit Enterprise.
2021: Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Business Demography (BD) have harmonized their processes related to the status for 'active' enterprises, so that from this reference year 2021 the number of active enterprises for SBS and BD is equivalent for these domains. This has caused a break in the series of "Number of active enterprises". The effect of on variables other than the number of enterprises is mainly quite marginal.
2022: Structural Business Statistics (SBS) and Business Demography (BD) have harmonized their processes related to the status for 'active' enterprises in construction, so that from this reference year 2022 the number of active enterprises for SBS and BD is equivalent for these domains. This has caused a break in the series of "Number of active enterprises". The effect of on variables other than the number of enterprises is quite marginal.
