1.1. Contact organisation
INSEE - Business Statistics Directorate
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Short-Term Activity Indices division
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
INSEE - Direction générale 88 avenue Verdier CS 70058 92541 Montrouge Cedex
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
12 June 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
12 June 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
12 June 2025
3.1. Data description
The indices of production in construction provide a short-term indication of changes in activity in the construction sector.
Source: The construction output index is now calculated using data on hourly volume from nominative social declarations (DSN) – a monthly reporting/administrative requirement in which employers report, for each of their employees, the time worked and the wages paid – instead of the monthly production surveys in the building and public works sector (EMBTP).
An experiment was conducted over several years to validate the switch to this new source. The series have been backcast to January 1990, with the use of the DSN source since 2019 (not available or not robust enough for this purpose before this date).
Links:
3.2. Classification system
Classification NACE Rev. 2
Links:
3.3. Coverage - sector
Activities covered: NACE Rev. 2 Section F.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The indice of production in construction measure the evolution of output (value added) in volume.
The indices for this sector are estimated by tracking the number of hours worked per month, multiplied by an hourly productivity coefficient (updated with annual national accounts data to take into account the changes in productivity).
Accounting conventions: Not available.
3.5. Statistical unit
Reporting unit: Legal unit. Observation unit(s): Kind of activity unit (establishment-level).
3.6. Statistical population
Units of all size.
3.7. Reference area
France
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time series start in 1990.
3.9. Base period
Base (reference) year: 2021
Index
Month
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
At national level:
Law No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951 on the obligation, coordination and secrecy of statistics
At European level:
Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics (EBS-Regulation) and its General Implementing Act
(Regulation (EU) 2020/1197)
Links:
- Law No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951 on the obligation, coordination and secrecy of statistics
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not available
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
At the national level, Article 6 of Act No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951, as amended, on the obligation, coordination and secrecy of statistics determines what statistical secrecy is, its limits and the conditions for its application. These rules apply to surveys conducted by the official statistical service (SSP) whether or not they are mandatory. The derogations provided for in this article are governed by the Act. As it stands, the only exemptions that remain applicable are those relating to the status of public archives for surveys and censuses, which authorise the disclosure of individual information contained in the questionnaires and relating to personal and family life and, in general, to the information contained in the questionnaires. family life and, in general, to private facts and behaviour, after a period of 75 years for individuals and 25 years for legal entities. According to the Act, this communication may not be used for tax control or economic repression.
The obligations relating to statistical confidentiality also apply to administrative data that INSEE or ministerial statistical services may have access to under the terms of Article 7 bis of the aforementioned Act, as well as to private data communicated under the terms of Article 3 bis. under the terms of Article 3 bis of the Act. Generally speaking, with regard to access to public data, confidentiality obligations relating to the protection of privacy or business secrecy and the protection of personal data are guaranteed by Act (Article 1 of the Act for a Digital Republic).
At the European level, the confidentiality of statistical information is affirmed by Article 338 of the EU Treaty. Statistical confidentiality is also the subject of Chapter V of Regulation 223/2009 as amended and Implementing Regulation No 557/2013 as regards access to confidential data for statistical purposes.
A Statistical Confidentiality Committee ensures that these statutory guarantees are maintained. Its powers are set out in Article 6 bis of Act No. 51-711 of 7 June 1951, as amended, on the obligation, coordination and secrecy of statistics and Chapter II of Decree No. 2009-318 of 20 March 2009 on the National Council for Statistical Information and the Statistical Confidentiality Committee. It is called upon to give its opinion on any question relating to statistical secrecy, and gives its opinion on requests for communication of individual data collected by means of a statistical survey or transmitted to the official statistical service, for the purpose of establishing a statistical report. for statistical purposes. Researchers can also ask the committee to give an opinion on access to various administrative data other than public statistics.
Chaired by a State Councillor, it includes representatives of the National Assembly and the Senate. The composition and operating procedures of the committee are set by decree in the Council of State. The beneficiaries of data communications resulting from ministerial decisions taken after the opinion of the Statistical Confidentiality Committee undertake not to communicate these data to anyone.
Any breach of the provisions of this paragraph shall be punishable by the penalties provided for in Article 226-13 of the Criminal Code.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The main rules for turnover indices are: no dissemination of data if they are based on the compilation of less than 3 enterprises or if a single entreprise represents more than 85% of the turnover of the field covered by the serie (dominance rule and p% rule).
Confidential treatment through TAU ARGUS (software designed to protect statistical tables) and confidential indices are not disseminated.
Links:
8.1. Release calendar
A monthly release calendar is produced for the four following months. It can be found on the INSEE website.
Links:
8.2. Release calendar access
On the INSEE Website.
Links:
8.3. Release policy - user access
Internet users can consult and download all the available statistical data free of charge on the INSEE website,
as well as the information needed to interpret them correctly.
The rules of access, particularly the embargo rules, are described on Insee website.
The transmission to Eurostat is made using the SDMX format, the day of the national release.
Links:
Monthly
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not available
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
National paper publications: Informations Rapides.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The results are available in the indices and time series category of the statistics and studies section on Insee website.
Data can be downloaded in xlsx or csv format. They can also be retrieved via a web service, available on the Insee API portal and compliant with the SDMX standard.
Links:
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Planned changes in national dissemination methods: none.
Transmissions to Eurostat using eDamis.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Documentation on methodology on the INSEE website.
The note will be updated to take account of the change of reference year to 2021.
Links:
- Industrial Production Index with Base Year 2015 Insee Méthodes N°133 - July 2019
- Methodological changes to the calculation of the volume production in construction index - March 2023
10.7. Quality management - documentation
A quality report has been drawn up in accordance with the quality assurance framework (see 11.1).
11.1. Quality assurance
Since 2005, the European Statistics Code of Practice has been the reference for assessing the quality of the output of national statistical institutes. Periodic reviews by European peers are organised to ensure that the principles of this reference framework are implemented and to ensure that each institute is committed to continuous improvement. Within this framework, INSEE has adopted a process-based approach. A range of tools, pooled within the Official Statistical Service (SSP), has been created to describe statistical production processes, analyse their strengths and weaknesses, assess the risks involved, examine their documentation (metadata) or assess a particular stage (analysis of users' needs, data validation, etc.). The diagnoses resulting from these quality approaches lead to the establishment of action plans that are regularly monitored in the context of process reviews.
In addition, INSEE regularly conducts satisfaction surveys on the indicators and data it produces. The results of these surveys are available on the Insee website.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Eurostat requirements are fulfilled and the variables used to calculate the indices are accurate and of good quality.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The Industrial production indices are meant to be used by many clients (i.e. users) including Eurostat, the official statistical service (INSEE and the SSM) and the general public (inseenauts, private or public institutions, media).
Different types of products are produced by the team on Industrial production indices:
- monthly Informations rapides publications
- aggregated data files and series available on the on-line database
- specific files responding to user needs (National Accounts, Business Cycle Analysis, Structural Surveys, SSM)
- metadata: annual quality reports sent to Eurostat and made available on Insee website
- weights.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
This process is not subject to a specific satisfaction survey for external users but internal users are satisfied with the quality and punctuality of indices.
12.3. Completeness
Eurostat’s requirements in terms of completeness are fulfilled.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Response rate: 100% (administrative data).
13.2. Sampling error
Not available
13.3. Non-sampling error
Coverage error
All units are covered.
Measurement error
The measurement error is small: this would be due to inaccurate reporting not identified in the data clearance process.
Non response error
Response rate: 100% (administrative data).
Processing error
The process is robust and uses cross-validations methods.
14.1. Timeliness
35 days after the end of the reference period (except for the publication on July and November, 40 days after the end of the reference period).
14.2. Punctuality
Deadlines are respected and data have so far always been published on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Methods are comparable to those of other European. They are compliant with the european regulation (EBS).
15.2. Comparability - over time
Consistency over time is ensured through the use of stable methods. In the case of methodological changes, or change of base period, past indices are backcast to ensure comparability over time.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
A benchmarking with other STS data, structural data or national accounts can be carried out. In addition, national accountants use indices of production in construction as benchmark for their estimates and provide feedback on consistency with past account data.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal consistency is ensured through the aggregation method.
Burden for INSEE: 240 hours (excluding collection).
17.1. Data revision - policy
The same revision policy is applied to STS data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat.
All revisions are taken into account.
Routine revisions are mainly due to late administrative déclarations (< 1% of the total declarants) which result in revisions for the last two months published.
Then SA-WDA data are also revised each month as a consequence of the new calculation of SA-WDA coefficients. These revisions are taken into account each month.
Major revisions are mainly due to rebasing, new weights or update of productivity factors.
No revision calendar exists.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Warnings are published in the national publication Informations Rapides and on the Insee web site when the revisions are major revisions like after rebasing or changes in methodology.
In the whole construction, the mean revision between january 2021 and december 2023 is 1.07 point for the year-on-year growth rate of the calendar adjusted serie (see below).
In the whole construction, the mean absolute revision between january 2022 and december 2024 is 1.12 point for the year-on-year growth rate of the calendar adjusted serie (see below).
These revisions include the impacts of rebasing or major methodological changes.
Revisions in the whole construction between january 2022 and december 2024 (36 months):
- MR = +0.23
- MAR = +1.12
- RMAR =+0.48
Rebasing and reference change
The 2015 rebasing implemented an important innovation, with the introduction of annually chained indices instead of fixed-weights indices.
18.1. Source data
Type of source: administrative data (déclaration sociale nominative)
Links:
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly
18.3. Data collection
Data collection media: Enterprises transmit information from their payroll software to a single point of deposit just once a month.
This information is checked and then redistributed to the various recipient organisations.
Planned changes in data collection methodology: None.
18.4. Data validation
Data are validated before they are transmitted to Eurostat.
18.5. Data compilation
Estimates for non-response: none, except for the last few months due to a few late declarations (< 1% of the total declarants)
Estimates for grossing-up to population levels: none
Type of index: Annual chain-linked Laspeyres indices with 2021 as reference year
Method of weighting and chaining: The weightings of the branches are based on annual raw value added at basic prices. The indices have a mean of 100 in 2021.
Planned changes in production methods: None.
18.6. Adjustment
Adjustment
Indices are seasonally and working-day adjusted.
Seasonal adjustment
The raw indices are seasonnaly and working-day adjusted (SA-WDA) using the X13 ARIMA program available in JDemetra +. The WD adjustment (trading days, leap year) and the seasonal adjustment decomposition are calculated at the 4-digit level of the NACE Rev. 2. The upper levels are obtained by aggregating the series (indirect method), in the same way as the agregation of raw data.
The Reg ARIMA calendar adjustment is used by constructing working day regressors based on the French national calendar (which takes into account working days specific to France).
Outliers (additive outliers, temporary changes, level shifts, seasonal outliers) are fixed in the past and are detected automatically on the past 12 months onwards. The critical value for outlier detection, the filter length and the model/filter selection depend on the series and may have to be changed manually to improve the quality of the seasonal correction. This was the case to neutralize some particular points associated with the 2020-2021 health crisis (lockdowns for example), which would have induced an unjustified distortion of the seasonal coefficients over the past.
Either additive or multiplicative decomposition can be used. The seasonal adjustment models are reexamined every year (favouring stability) and the parameters are re-estimated every month.
Each month the SA-WDA data are revised from 2012. For the seasonal adjustment of indices in the recent past, the models are now estimated over a reduced sub-period (from 2012 onwards), in accordance with Eurostat guidelines, and in order to reinforce the robustness of the seasonal adjustment. The data before 2012 are fixed in evolution, in accordance with Eurostat's guidelines (avoid revisions over a too long period).
Not available
The indices of production in construction provide a short-term indication of changes in activity in the construction sector.
Source: The construction output index is now calculated using data on hourly volume from nominative social declarations (DSN) – a monthly reporting/administrative requirement in which employers report, for each of their employees, the time worked and the wages paid – instead of the monthly production surveys in the building and public works sector (EMBTP).
An experiment was conducted over several years to validate the switch to this new source. The series have been backcast to January 1990, with the use of the DSN source since 2019 (not available or not robust enough for this purpose before this date).
Links:
12 June 2025
The indice of production in construction measure the evolution of output (value added) in volume.
The indices for this sector are estimated by tracking the number of hours worked per month, multiplied by an hourly productivity coefficient (updated with annual national accounts data to take into account the changes in productivity).
Accounting conventions: Not available.
Reporting unit: Legal unit. Observation unit(s): Kind of activity unit (establishment-level).
Units of all size.
France
Month
Response rate: 100% (administrative data).
Index
Estimates for non-response: none, except for the last few months due to a few late declarations (< 1% of the total declarants)
Estimates for grossing-up to population levels: none
Type of index: Annual chain-linked Laspeyres indices with 2021 as reference year
Method of weighting and chaining: The weightings of the branches are based on annual raw value added at basic prices. The indices have a mean of 100 in 2021.
Planned changes in production methods: None.
Type of source: administrative data (déclaration sociale nominative)
Links:
Monthly
35 days after the end of the reference period (except for the publication on July and November, 40 days after the end of the reference period).
Methods are comparable to those of other European. They are compliant with the european regulation (EBS).
Consistency over time is ensured through the use of stable methods. In the case of methodological changes, or change of base period, past indices are backcast to ensure comparability over time.
