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For any question on data and metadata, please contact: Eurostat user support |
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1.1. Contact organisation | National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) |
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1.2. Contact organisation unit | Unit SED (Index of production in construction - IPC) |
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1.5. Contact mail address | Economic Statistics Directorate - Short Term Statistics Division Via Tuscolana, 1788 00173 Rome |
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2.1. Metadata last certified | 14/06/2023 | ||
2.2. Metadata last posted | 14/06/2023 | ||
2.3. Metadata last update | 14/06/2023 |
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3.1. Data description | |||
Monthly index of total production in construction. |
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3.2. Classification system | |||
Nace Rev. 2 Section F; CC breakdown: CC1 ("Buildings") and CC2 ("Civil engineering"). |
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3.3. Coverage - sector | |||
Sector: Nace Rev.2 Section F Size classes covered Hours worked: in principle, enterprises with no employees or more. Industrial turnover: units employing 20 employees or more. Activities covered: NACE Rev. 2 Section F |
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3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions | |||
List and definition of variables: The Index of production in construction (IPC) measures the evolution, on monthly basis, of the output in real terms in the construction sector. It is compiled from input data (hours worked, intermediate input and gross fixed capital) using an indirect method based on a production function.
A proxy of the intermediate input is obtained from monthly industrial turnover survey, while National accounts (NA) provide data on capital stock. The variables directly surveyed for IPC are those related to labour input: hours worked, number of manual workers and number of enterprises. They are administrative data but collected by Istat through a monthly survey. Input data are combined to estimate the output of the construction sector. |
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3.5. Statistical unit | |||
Reporting unit (s): Industrial turnover: enterprise (please, see metadata on "STS industrial turnover index"). Observation unit(s): KAU (for industrial turnover). |
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3.6. Statistical population | |||
Theoretical statistical population is represented by the total of the enterprises of the construction sector (more or less 500.000 enterprises). |
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3.7. Reference area | |||
The area covered by the IPC is the whole national territory. |
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3.8. Coverage - Time | |||
1995 is the starting point for the general index time series (coverage: Nace rev.2 section F). From 2000 onwards also CC1 and CC2 time series are available (but not released at national level). |
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3.9. Base period | |||
The base year is 2015. |
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Index. |
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Month. |
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6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements | |||
Legal basis: National level: European level: The legal basis for the STS indicators are the Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (EBS-Regulation) and the Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 (General Implementing Act). Hours worked: enterprises that signed the contract of the construction sector are required to provide information on hours worked to BWWF. At the moment, Istat collects these information on the basis of a compulsory monthly survey, provided for SNP. |
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6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing | |||
Data are sent only to Eurostat (not to other international organizations). |
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7.1. Confidentiality - policy | |||
Confidentiality provisions are explicitly stated in the ISTAT President's letter attached to data collection questionnaire along with references to different acts on statistics. Links to relevant acts on statistics are presented on the website of Sistan - National Statistical System. |
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7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment | |||
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8.1. Release calendar | |||
Once a year, in December, ISTAT releases an official calendar providing the exact release dates for the coming year. The calendar is distributed to the press and is available free of charge to all the interested parties. |
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8.2. Release calendar access | |||
The release calendar is also disseminated on ISTAT's website https://www.istat.it/en/information-and-services/journalists/press-releases-/press-calendar. |
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8.3. Release policy - user access | |||
Users can access to data from the I.stat database, where the latest estimates are stored every month, at the same time as the press release. There is no pre-release access. Every month, data are transmitted to Eurostat, with a delay of 45 days from the reference period. When sending the data, an embargo date is indicated which coincides with the national press release date. With the national press release, after few days, data become public.
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Monthly. |
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10.1. Dissemination format - News release | |||
Every month data are released simultaneously to the all interested parties by issuing the monthly press release. IPC is calculated for NACE Rev. 2 Section F, in the unadjusted, seasonally and working day adjusted form. The press release (Italian version and English short version) is subsequently posted on the ISTAT Internet website https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/produzione+nelle+costruzioni. |
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10.2. Dissemination format - Publications | |||
This index is not considered in other publications. |
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10.3. Dissemination format - online database | |||
Data are disseminated in I.Stat database, theme: "Industry and Construction, data set "Production". More information available in the User Guide |
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10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access | |||
Validated microdata are stored in the repository of the Institute, ARMIDA. |
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10.5. Dissemination format - other | |||
Data are sent to Eurostat to be used in European aggregates (CC1 and CC2 indices, confidentially transmitted to Eurostat) and released also as national level (only the total index). |
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10.6. Documentation on methodology | |||
Methodology and sources of information for the index calculation are described in "Nota metodologica-Produzione nelle costruzioni-Base 2015", 28th March 2018 attached to the press release (https://www.istat.it/en/archivio/210763). Other methodological general information, even those referred to the old base 2005, are available in the document "A new index of production for the construction sector based on input data", Contributi ISTAT n.2, 2003. |
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10.7. Quality management - documentation | |||
A description of methodology and sources used in compiling statistics is also contained in the Information System for Survey Documentation and Quality Control (Siqual) that is available on ISTAT's Internet website SIQual. This system manages qualitative information related to each single phase of a survey's production process (https://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/lang.do?language=UK and http://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/visualizza.do?id=7779918). More information about procedures applied for quality management and quality assessment are reported in the document "Quality Guidelines For Statistical Processes" - December 2012
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11.1. Quality assurance | |||
Istat sticks to the quality general principles as they are stated in "ESS Handbook for Quality Report". For more details: Quality Guidelines For Statistical Processes - December 2012 |
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11.2. Quality management - assessment | |||
The construction production index is the result of an indirect estimate and an integration of different sources of data (econometric model is used to estimate the relation between production and specific indicators on worked hours, intermediate consumption and capital stock). The overall quality assessment can be considered satisfactory as all the main quality requirements (e.g. completeness, user satisfaction, relevance and reliability) are met. |
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12.1. Relevance - User Needs | |||
The released estimates meet the relevance requirements (Eurostat and Istat National Accounts are the main institutional users). Other institutional or private users, as National Building Contractors' Association, are in general satisfied with Istat output, even though they sometimes ask for specific elaborations, not scheduled in the monthly or annual Istat agenda. |
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12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction | |||
Not available. |
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12.3. Completeness | |||
Eurostat's requirements in terms of time series are fulfilled. |
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13.1. Accuracy - overall | |||
IPC is estimated using and indirect method, based on a production function. Hours worked by manual worker employed in the sector represent the first indicator used to estimate the production. Its contribution to the production estimate is 45%. Starting from 2015, with the rebasing, data from the total 98 BWWF, covering all the national territory, are used to compile IPC, as a census survey has been conducted since January 2016. The second variable used, explaining 45% of the output, is the turnover of industrial enterprises producing and selling building materials typically used in the construction sector (intermediate consumption). The trend and the rate of change of these two variables (hours worked and industrial turnover) are always aligned, confirming the reliability of the two indicators in describing the evolution of the sector output. Hours worked: as regards hours worked, only a general assessment is available at the moment. Although they represent administrative information, data on labour input used for IPC are obtained through a statistical survey. Both for preliminary estimate (t+45) and for its first revision (t+75), the response rate, at the moment (reference year: 2022), is on average 96.9%. For the preliminary IPC estimate, 76-89 BWWF data are used, representing almost 86.3% of the responding units (76-89 out of 98). For the t+75 estimate, a higher number (83-90) of the responding units is used, covering almost the 92.2% of the 98 potential responding units. In both cases, before being used for the IPC compilation, data are generally upward revised because they are not yet not complete at the time of the first estimate (non-responding enterprises, or enterprises transmitting data to BWWF after the Istat deadline). Correction factors, estimated on the basis of the past data, are applied to take into account the lacking information in the provisional hours worked data that enterprises transmit to BWWF. The correction factor is in the range 4.8%-6.7% for preliminary estimate of the hours worked index and falls within the range 1.0%-1.2% one month later, when preliminary data are revised for the first time, excluding the correction factors introduced for the months of March and April as a result of the pandemic. After one year, when final and complete information are available, the "adjusted" data used for the provisional estimate are compared to them: the ratio between the total amount of hours worked revaluated (estimated) used for the provisional index and the corresponding amount available at the end of the year (final data) is usually high (now, to be recalculated). Industrial turnover: please, see metadata on "Industrial turnover index". |
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13.2. Sampling error | |||
An assessment of the sampling error for IPC is not available, as IPC estimate is based on an indirect method.
For hours worked: see section 13.1 for a general assessment of the accuracy.
For industrial turnover: see metadata on "Industrial turnover index" (a "cut-off" sampling method is used).
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13.3. Non-sampling error | |||
Hours worked: at the moment,(reference year: 2022), the response rate is around 86,3% for the provisional estimates (t+45) and around 96,9 for the first revision estimates (t+75). |
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14.1. Timeliness | |||
A provisional monthly index is confidentially sent to Eurostat 45 days after the reference period for total production and for production in "Civil engineering" and "Buildings". Differently from CC1 and CC2 indices, the general index is released through a national press release 48-50 days from the reference period. IPC is then revised the following month (first revision) and becomes final one year later (annual revision), when new National Account annual estimates of capital are taken into account and updated information on hours worked and industrial turnover can be used. |
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14.2. Punctuality | |||
European and national deadlines are always met. |
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15.1. Comparability - geographical | |||
Data used for the index compilation substantially cover all the national territory, as the 98 Welfare Funds involved in BWWF survey are spread throughout the Italian geographical regions, even though for some of them the response rate is a bit lower than the national average. Moreover, the quality (completeness) of the data transmitted seems to be less satisfactory for some regions, whose BWWF collect enterprise data with a certain delay.
For Industrial turnover data used to estimate the intermediate consumption index refer to the whole national economy.
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15.2. Comparability - over time | |||
Data are comparable over time. No breaks in time series. |
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15.3. Coherence - cross domain | |||
A comparison with data on building permits has been made in order to check cross domain coherence. This comparison has shown an overall coherent dynamic between the two indicators. Italy quarterly National Accounts VA estimates are based on monthly IPC, therefore a good coherence is ensured between NA and STS figures on construction output figures. |
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15.4. Coherence - internal | |||
IPC is always consistent with its sub-aggregates (items CC1 and CC2), as CC1 is obtained as a difference between CC and CC2. Internal coherence is also ensured for calendar adjusted data, as indirect adjustment is performed. |
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The cost estimate is compiled in terms of total number of hours worked (THW). It is equal to the product of three terms: (total) Annual Working Days (AWD), (total) Hours Worked per Day (HWD), Number of Persons involved in the Survey (NPS).
Statistical burden on BWWF that provide Istat administrative data on hours worked is not high (and no burden at all on enterprises that are required to transmit information to BWWF for administrative reasons). Intermediate consumption and capital indices are based on Istat existing information. |
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17.1. Data revision - policy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The general revision policy is predetermined, reasonably stable from year to year and adopted in order to incorporate new and improved information. In addition to the monthly current revisions, IPC is generally revised each year to take into account the updated data on hours worked, turnover industrial indices and the new NA estimates on annual capital stock used to estimate a monthly capital index. Other IPC revisions can be performed when extra data are available or in case of correction due to errors in data input. In particular, the revision policy is based on: - routine revisions: as data are provisional at the time of the press release, they are revised one month later for taking into account updated information and sometimes additional new information transmitted by BWWF; also monthly revisions of industrial turnover are considered; -annual revisions: once a year, a deeper revision is carried out to take into account other possible updating of hours worked transmitted by BWWF, the annual revision of industrial turnover data and the new NA estimates on annual capital stock; on the occasion of the annual revision, also seasonal adjustment models are tested again. - major revisions performed every five years: in the framework of the rebasing, when revisions are mainly due to the effects of the new weighting systems. Users are always informed about the revisions and, at the time of each dissemination, they are also informed if data are preliminary or revised and the reasons why data have been revised are explained too (e.g. availability of additional new data, revisions/changes in data sources). On the occasion of the annual current revision (or during the rebasing), also seasonal adjustment model can be modified, if necessary. Coherence requirements and deadlines in the revision policy are met both for data nationally released and transmitted to Eurostat. As concerns non-scheduled revisions, if inaccuracies are found out, they are generally corrected with the first revision of the preliminary estimate. Otherwise, corrections are generally postponed and made when the annual revision is carried out. Vintage database releases were stopped before the introduction of base year 2010=100 (March 2013) and they are now disseminated again. |
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17.2. Data revision - practice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the "Revisions" paragraph, included in all releases, methodological notes on revisions are reported (revision policy, source, periodicity, etc.). In terms of growth rates, the maximum absolute difference between the second release index (t+75) and the provisional index (t+45) is lower than 0.8% on average. Difference between first and second estimate is to be attributed to further data concerning worked hours becoming available when Welfare Funds transmits them to Istat for the t+75 estimate. Moreover, revisions on provisional releases are affected by corrections on industrial turnover microdata.
The monthly capital index, which is used to estimate IPC, is obtained from NA estimates of gross capital stock in a process benchmarked on annual basis against NA figures. When annual revision occurs usually further accurate information on labour and intermediate inputs are available.
The table below shows the Mean Revision (MR), the Mean Absolute Revision (MAR) and the RMAR (Relative Mean Absolute Revision) indicators of the unadjusted index, the working days adjusted index and the seasonally adjusted index. These indicators refer to 36 monthly values for years 2020, 2021, 2022 and the reference base is 2015=100.
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18.1. Source data | |||
The IPC estimate is an example of integration between statistical and administrative information. For the base year, a production function is estimated using SBS data. |
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18.2. Frequency of data collection | |||
Monthly. |
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18.3. Data collection | |||
Questionnaires used in the survey: |
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18.4. Data validation | |||
As a first step, the coherence of the time series of worked hours data is checked, as a total amount and for each Welfare Fund providing data. Other general checks are made on the plausibility of hours worked growth rates in comparison with the trend of the number of employees (workers) and the number of enterprises they are referred to. Outliers are detected and investigated and responding units (BWWF) are contacted again when necessary. To identify other outliers or other reasons of possible inconsistencies, also for industrial turnover data preliminary checks are scheduled (e.g. turnover figures checked against orders). IPC is estimated after checking the global alignment between hours worked and intermediate input indices (in terms of growth rates) or investigating possible economic/statistical reasons why they are not. As regards the output (IPC), data can be compared with other statistical domains information. |
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18.5. Data compilation | |||
Hours worked: when estimating hours worked index, 'non-response' issue is not tackled, as the monthly growth rate for the current year is applied to the previous year index and only the units responding in the two subsequent years are considered for this purpose (units responding both in the current and in the previous year). But, as construction sector enterprises might delay the data transmission to BWWF, information on hours worked are not yet complete when the provisional index has to be estimated. An upward correction is therefore necessary to take into account the lack of information (please, see 13.1). Industrial turnover: see metadata on "Industrial turnover index". |
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18.6. Adjustment | |||
IPC, CC1 and CC2 indices are calendar adjusted and corrected for seasonal effects by TRAMO-SEATS procedure (version 4 Linux Revision 942). Adjustment models are completely reviewed once a year and parameters are re-estimated each month, when seasonally adjusted series are revised from January 1995. A "Reg-Arima" approach is used for working days and seasonal adjustment. A multiplicative seasonal adjustment breakdown is adopted. Calendar adjustment is performed by using Italy national calendar which also considers national holidays. Also leap year is adjusted for IPC. Easter effect, preliminary tested, resulted not significant. One transitory change and three additive outliers have been identified for IPC. The critical value for the outlier detection and the filter length are automatically chosen, whereas model/filter selection is manual. For calendar adjusted data the consistency of different aggregation level is ensured by the indirect calendar adjustment method (please, see point 15.4 "Coherence - internal").
No constrains are applied on seasonally adjusted and raw data, but their annual average growth rates are generally very close.
Annexes: Template_BCS_PVCES |
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None. |
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