STATISTICS AUSTRIA

Directorate “Macro-economic Statistics” Prices. Statistics Austria compiles the index. No other institutions are involved in the production of this index.

Guglgasse 13A, 1110 Wien, Austria

Name of indicator/source: the industrial producer price index ("Erzeugerpreisindex für den Produzierenden Bereich") is calculated on the basis of real price information. The producer price is defined as the invoiced amount of a sold product during the reference period (ex-factory price). This amount excludes the value added tax. All price-determining characteristics of the products are taken into account, including quantity of units sold, transport provided, rebates, service conditions, guarantee conditions and destination.
The producer price index (PPI) is an important short-term indicator for economic and monetary purposes and measures the gross monthly change in the trading price of products on the domestic and non-domestic markets.

NACE Rev. 2.

Activities covered: the index covers Sections B to E36 of NACE Rev. 2. The PRODCOM classification is also used.

Size classes covered: employment-size-classes and additionally turnover-size-classes: enterprises with at least 20 persons employed and a turnover threshold of EUR 1.5 million (excluding VAT) per year, taking into account that 90% of national production in each NACE Division should be represented.
See also: Short-term statistics in industry and construction.

List and definition of variables: the index aims to show the monthly development of producer prices for goods manufactured in Austria. The Austrian producer price index is calculated on the basis of real price information (NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to E36) with the reference year 2021=100.
The producer price is defined as the invoiced amount of a sold product during the reference period (ex-factory price). This amount excludes the value added tax. All price-determining characteristics of the products are taken into account, including quantity of units sold, transport provided, rebates, service conditions, guarantee conditions and destination.

Accounting conventions: A particular day during the reference month (15th of each month).

Reporting unit: prices are provided by establishments (or enterprises).

Observation unit(s): KAU (kind of activity unit).

The target population covers the sections B to E36 of NACE Rev. 2 (not covered are the classes of NACE Rev. 2: 07.21, 24.46, 25.4, 30.1, 30.3, 30.4 and 37 to 39). The observation units of the target population produces products within the activity range specified in question above. The frame for identifying observation units for the population is the PRODCOM survey, in which enterprises with at least 20 persons employed and a turnover threshold of EUR 1.5 million (excluding VAT) per year, taking into account that 90% of national production in each NACE Division should be represented. The number of units in the population of interest (PRODCOM survey) encompasses about 6,800 units.

Geographical area covered: All regions of Austria are covered.

Date of first use as a source: up to December 2004 the producer price index in Austria was calculated on the basis of unit values from the Prodcom survey (323 good categories and 555 reporting units) and real price information from the wholesale price index (93 products and 90 reporting units) and the index of machinery and transport equipment (79 products and 248 reporting units).
Unit values: the data base for the calculation of the unit values comes from the Prodcom survey. This survey collects information for the Production sector NACE Rev. 1.1 Sections C to F) on a monthly basis with a specific set of questionnaires. The unit values, which are used as price surrogates, are calculated for each reporting unit with the help of the monthly value of the sold production of each PRODCOM heading and the corresponding quantity. Only the fact that Austria has a very detailed primary monthly database (PRODCOM 10-digit-level) enables Statistics Austria to calculate unit-values, which are useable price surrogates. The value of the sold production is defined as the invoiced amount of the sold quantity of a certain PRODCOM heading during the reference period. That amount excludes the value added tax, but includes taxes on goods such as taxes on tobacco and mineral oil.
Only the important PRODCOM positions as well as the leading reporting units are included in the calculation; enough combinations (PRODCOMs - establishments) were selected such that the sum of their production values covered 70% of the production value of each Group.
Since reference period January 2005 the producer price index of NACE Rev 2 (2005=100) is compiled on the basis of real price information. To provide longer time series of NACE Rev. 2 (2005=100) to the users (Eurostat, institutions and internal users) the time series of NACE Rev. 1.1 from 2000 to 2004 are reconstructed in terms of NACE Rev. 2. The current reference year of the producer price index of NACE Rev. 2 based on primary price data is 2021.

The current reference year is 2021 (2021=100). There are no different base and reference periods released nationally. For national publication Austria switched to the current reference period 2021=100 in 2022. By using chain-linking method the reference period is based on December of the previous year.

The base year on which the weights are based: The micro-weights for the PRODCOM (10-digit) headings are based on the PRODCOM survey (t-1) and the macro-weights for CPA 6-digit headings and higher aggregates are based on the input/output statistics (makematrix, t-2).

Indices.

A particular day during the reference month (15th of each month).

Legal basis:

• the Federal Statistics Act (Bundesstatistikgesetz 2000, the Federal LAW GAZETTE I No. 163/1999 as amended).
• The specific European law referring to the producer prices index is 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 Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152.
• The national Regulation concerning the compilation of price indices of the price development in economy (Federal Law GAZETTE II No. 147/2007 as amended).

Obligation on units to provide data: there is a legal obligation for the units to report, it is regulated in the Federal Law GAZETTE II No. 147/2007 as amended. 

Producer price indices are transmitted to Eurostat, OECD and UN.

Dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including confidentiality of individual responses:

The legal basis is:

• The general obligation to publish statistics and the strict provision on statistical confidentiality is regulated by the Federal Statistics Act (Bundesstatistikgesetz 2000, the Federal LAW GAZETTE I No. 163/1999 as amended).
• The protection of personal data is covered by the Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz, the Federal Law GAZETTE I No. 165/1999 as amended).  

The Federal Statistics Act includes a general obligation to publish statistics.

Treatment of confidential data: aggregations consisting of data of less than 3 establishments are regarded as confidential and therefore not published.

Advance dissemination of release calendar: a release calendar covering release dates of the first/second half of the year is published on the website of Statistics Austria.

Release calender of STATISTICS AUSTRIA.

Simultaneous release to all interested parties: no users have prior access to the data before its general release. Data are made available to all users simultaneously in the STATISTICS AUSTRIA press release, which is disseminated by the Austrian Press Agency. The press release is also available on the website of STATISTICS AUSTRIA. According to the release calendar, data are transmitted to Eurostat at the same time of national publication 30 days after the end of the month. The Federal Act on Federal Statistics (Federal Statistics Act 2000) explicitly states in §30 (3) the obligation of STATISTICS AUSTRIA to inform without delay the Federal Minister responsible for the subject matter concerned about the results of statistical surveys and to publish them simultaneously.

Identification of internal government access to data before release: Data are published on the website of Statistics Austria according to the release calendar and no users have prior access to the data. The Federal Statistics Act (Bundesstatistikgesetz 2000, the Federal LAW GAZETTE I No. 163/1999 as amended) explicitly states in §30 (3) the obligation of STATISTICS AUSTRIA to inform without delay the Federal Minister responsible for the subject matter concerned about the results of statistical surveys and to publish them simultaneously.

Transmission to Eurostat and further use of the statistics: according to the release calendar - 30 days after the end of the reference period. At the time of national publication data are transmitted to Eurostat via eDAMIS using SDMX. The level of detail corresponds to the 2-digit-level of NACE and all aggregations (Subsections, Sections, MIGs and the aggregate of Sections B to E36) for the total market, domestic market, non-domestic market. The industrial producer price index is also transmitted to the Austrian National Bank.

National dissemination and data transmission to Eurostat are monthly.

Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases: the press release coverages the data of the total market. No ministerial commentary is attached to the release of data.

Name of national paper publications:

• Presseinformationen (monthly press releases);
• "Statistisches Jahrbuch Österreichs 20xx." (Austrian Statistical Year Book) - Kapitel 10
• Prices– methodological publication.

Name of national electronic dissemination:

• Homepage Statistics Austria: https://www.statistik.at/en/;
• Database STATcube (statistical database system);
• "Statistisches Jahrbuch Österreichs 20xx" (Austrian Statistical Year Book) - Kapitel 10;
• Prices – methodological publication.

Time series for:

• Producer prices (total market);
• Producer prices (domestic market);
• Producer prices for non-domestic market (divided into euro area and non-euro area) are disseminated monthly for all Sections, Subsections and Divisions of NACE Rev.2 and for 5 main industrial groupings MIGs (according to the destination of the products: capital goods, durable and non-durable consumer goods, intermediate goods, energy) and the aggregate of Sections B to E36.

Not applicable.

Data are sent to Eurostat.

Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics:

Methodological papers:

The national quality report of the industrial producer price index (STATISTICS AUSTRIA: Standarddokumentationen) can be acquired on Statistics Austria web site.

Statistische Nachrichten" (Statistical Bulletin):

• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 9/2001: Erzeugerpreisindex (Basis 1996=100): Erstmalige Berechnung als Hybridindex;
• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 6/2002: Erzeugerpreisindex: neue Basis 2000=100;
• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 7/2003: Erzeugerpreisindex: Basis 2000=100; Neue Gewichtung für In- und Ausland;
• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 4/2007: Erzeugerpreisindex für Sachgüter: Umstieg auf einen Echtpreisindex;
• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 7/2012: Methodische Neuerungen beim Erzeugerpreisindex für Sachgüter;
• Statistische Nachrichten, Heft 10/2016: Umstellung des Erzeugerpreisindex für Sachgüter auf das Basisjahr 2015.

Internet:

• Homepage Statistics Austria: https://www.statistik.at/en/
• SDDS: https://www.imf.org/en/Countries

Description of standard tables produced:

The indices:

• Producer prices for total market;
• Producer prices for domestic market;
• Producer prices for non-domestic market (divided into euro area and non-euro area) are calculated and published monthly for all Sections, Subsections and Divisions of NACE Rev.2 and for 5 main industrial groupings MIGs (according to the destination of the products: capital goods, durable and non-durable consumer goods, intermediate goods, energy) and the aggregate of Sections B to E36.

The data are presented monthly as:

• An index (gross data) - with the current reference year (2021=100) for national publication;
• A period-on-previous-period growth rate and;
• A period-on-same-period of-previous-year growth rate.

The national quality report of the industrial producer price index (STATISTICS AUSTRIA: Standarddokumentationen) can be acquired on Statistics Austria web site.

Summary description of quality criteria calculated for national purposes: there exists a national quality report of the industrial producer price index on the homepage of Statistics Austria (Standarddokumentationen).
Chapter 6 “Quality” of this national quality report contains the following points:

• Relevance;
• Accuracy (Sampling Errors, Non-Sampling-Errors, revisions,…);
• Timeliness and punctuality in dissemination;
• Accessibility and clarity of the information;
• Comparability;
• Coherence with other statistics.

Qualitative assessment of the overall quality of the statistical outputs:

Total quality management principles are laid down in the Austrian Federal Statistics Act (§ 24) and in the mission statement of Statistics Austria. Quality checks (feedback meetings) are conducted regularly as well as quality reports are provided to the public. Quality feedback meetings take place with users, external experts and the Quality Assurance Committee of the Statistics Council.

Users and their needs: users are Eurostat, government department, national central bank, ECB, IMF, Oecd, media, researchers & students, enterprises/businesses, internal users. Producer price indices can be used as an economic indicator, as a deflator of other economic series and as the basis for indexing prices in contracts (escalation or indexation).

Users and their satisfaction: Eurostat, institutions and internal users use them for deflation and economic analysis. Enterprises/businesses use them for indexation of contracts and as economic indicators. Researchers and students and media need them for economic analysis.

In Article 24 of the Federal Statistics Act it is stated that "statistics shall be subject to permanent control with the aim of improving quality"; Statistics Austria's current feedback meetings on quality serve as an instrument of monitoring users’ needs concerning quality aspects; users, external experts and the Quality Assurance Committee of the Statistics Council are invited to participate in this meetings, as well as for their comments on quality reports.

Availability of statistics: Austria provides all producer price indices according to the relevant EU and Austrian national regulations.

The producer price index satisfies the principle of accuracy as it reflects a true picture of the development of producer prices within a certain economic activity.

The following issues are important for the accuracy of the PPI:

•  Representativeness of the sample (see 13.2 sampling error);
•  Precise compilation of the index: this is ensured due to compiling geometric averaged indices for the elementary aggregate (PRODCOM) and weighted averaged indices for all higher level aggregates;
•  Unit and item non response (see 13.3 non-sampling error);
•  Quality adjustment if products are changing: due to the identification and elimination of quality changes it is ensured that exclusively the “pure” price development is showed;
•  Actuality of the basket of goods (see 13.3 non-sampling error);
•  Actuality of the weights (see 13.3 non-sampling error).

A cut-off sample (which underlies no principle of probability) is used for the most important product groups and most important units therefore an indication of a sampling error is not possible. The used method of the sampling procedure enables a high level of representativeness, both for the selection of products and the selection of units. Due to the fact that the selection of product groups and units is carried out on detailed level (CPA 6 digit, PRODCOM), the identification of homogenous products is possible so that a representative figure of price changes is guaranteed. The basket of goods consists of about 1,200 representative product groups (approximately 10,000 individual prices) which are surveyed at approximately 1,600 reporting units.

Despite the reduction of the most important product groups and units (see 18.1 source data) the survey covers an overall production value of about 70% (reporting period 2023).

Coverage errors:

The Prodcom survey which has a minimum coverage of 90% of national production in each NACE Division guarantees a sufficient comprehensive source of data for the basket of goods.

Data collection errors:

Data collection errors are identified within the data validation and will be eliminated afterwards. Every reporting month about 0.02% of approximately 10,000 individual prices are determined for the preliminary results (t+30). Unit and item non-response (missing data): in average there are about 0.2% item non-response (missing of single item information like price or otherprice-determining characteristics of the product) of approximately 10,000 data sets for the preliminary results (t+30) (which are eliminated after the data validation) and there are about 1% unit non-response.

Data processing errors:

Not known.

Model errors:

The PPI according to NACE is an index by activity and covers the price development of the characteristic and non-characteristic production within NACE B-E36. The production of NACE divisions 41-96 is not covered.

Data quality of the used sources: 

• Prodcom survey is the source for the basket of goods: to take account of the ongoing changes in the product range the basket of goods will be updated every year on the basis of the latest data of the Prodcom survey (t+9 month). Thus enables the selection of new top-selling product groups and reporting units as well as elimination of product groups and reporting units from the sample.  
• Producer prices reported by the units: the quality of the producer prices is very high, because the prices are surveyed directly by the reporting units and a data validation is used to check the prices.  
• Input/output statistics (makematrix, t-2) for weights: to keep the time lag as short as possible the weights are price-updated up to December of the previous year.  

Preliminary results are released after 30 days (t+30), final results after 60 days (t+60) (except reference month January t+65).

Unit response rate:

The unit response rate of the first estimates in the reference year is 99.4%. It is an average of the twelve month in the reference year. The unit response rate for each month is calculated as the number of reported respondent units divided by the total number of respondent units.

Actions to speed up or increase the rate of unit response: Missing responses are requested by telephone contacts followed up by two e-mail reminders.

Timeliness: according to the release calendar the producer price index is published 30 days after the end of the reference month (provisional data) and 60 days after the end of the reference month (final data; except reference month January t+65).

Timetable of data collection: Data are collected on the 15th day of each month. The reporting unit is asked to reply by the 14th of the following month. Provisional data are published at t+30 days, final data at t+60 (except reference month January t+65).

No time lag between the actual delivery and the target date when it should have been delivered, except reference month January. This is due to the late availability of prodcom data for updating the weights of PPI annually.

The same statistical concepts are applied for the entire national territory.

Time series for NACE Rev. 2 are comparable over time.

Price developments are measured at the different stages of the economic process. At the production stage, there are producer price indices for agricultural and forestry products, for industrial products, for business services, and for the construction industry. At the distribution stage, there are the wohlesale price indices and the foreign trade price indices (import price indices, export price indices). Together, these price indices form a system of indices that not only allows price development on the different markets to be monitored, but also, and most importantly, enables conclusions to be drawn about price trends in the economy as a whole. The fact that goods and services at the individual economic stages are subject to a value added process means that the individual price indices are never indepentent but, rather, interdependent. 

Dissemination of information that support statistical cross-checks and provide assurance of reasonableness:

Other data sets (but only limited cross-checks are possible):

• wholesale price indices – Großhandelspreise
• unit value indices - data base for the calculation of the unit values comes from the Prodcom survey https://www.statistik.at/en/statistics/industry-construction-trade-and-services/short-term-business-statistics/figures-industry-and-construction

Confrontation with other data sets:

Cross-checks with other surveyed data such as ad hoc unit value indices and indices from the wholesale price index.

Coherence - internal: Weights are price-updated up to December of the previous year.

In 2023 the burden on respondents was 3,992 hours per year. Cost and burden cover the STS requirements as well as the national and other Eurostat needs. To reduce respondent’s burden a web-based questionnaire is mainly used.

Provision of information concerning the transparency of disseminated data: Data are provisional when first released in the monthly press releases and become final when the following index is released. This revision policy is described in footnotes to the relevant tables. A revision calendar exists on the homepage of Statistics Austria. Users can find the dates of publication for provisional data and final data (see also Concept 8.1). The same revision policy is applied to data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat.

Major revisions: according to the Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 indices should be rebased every five years, using as reference years the years endings with a 0 or a 5 (except 2021=100).

Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology:

Revisions are made regularly:

• Provisional data are published 30 days after the reference period (the data are marked as "provisional data");
• Final data at t+60.

This revision policy is described in footnotes to the relevant tables.

The Quality Indicators used in the data revision practice are: MAR (Mean Absolute Revision) and MR (Mean Revision) of year-on-year growth rates. The computed values for the last 36 monthly total PPI (domestic market) are: MAR=0.0583 and MR=0.0083.

The release calendar is published in advance.
Methodological changes are announced at the time of change and published in the monthly bulletin "Statistische Nachrichten". There is at least one quarter advance notice of major changes in methodology by including footnotes in the respective tables.

Type of source: Statistical survey.

Frame on which the source is based: Prodcom survey and business register (UR- "Unternehmensregister”).

Sample or census: Sample.

Criteria for stratification: CPA 4 digits and CPA 6 digits, and PRODCOM headings.

Threshold values and percentages: the data base for the selection of products and units is the PRODCOM survey. A cut-off sample of the most important product groups and most important units in each CPA stratum is used:

1. The most important CPA 6 digits per CPA 4 digit are selected: the production value of each selected CPA 6 digit covers more than 15% (threshold) of the production value of each CPA 4 digit.

2. The most important PRODCOM per CPA 6 digit are selected: the production value of each selected PRODCOM covers more than 15% (threshold) of the production value of the CPA 6 digit.

3. For each selected PRODCOM at least 3 of the most important units (with the highest production value) are selected.

Sample size: The basket of goods consists of about 1,200 representative product groups (approximately 10,000 individual prices) which are surveyed at approximately 1,600 reporting units.

Frequency of updating the sample: annually. Selection of new top-selling products and reporting units from the last available Prodcom survey data as well as eliminition of products and reporting units from the sample.

Periodicity of data collection: Data are collected on a monthly basis.

Questionnaires used in the survey:

Combination of:

• Web-based questionnaires (about 90% of the respondents use this type of questionnaire);
• Mail questionnaires;
• Interview by phone.

Data collection media: Web-based questionnaires (about 90% of the respondents use this type of questionnaire), mail questionnaires and interview by phone.

Validation level 0: Format and file structure checks.

Validation level 1: Checks are based at the level of each cell for the whole record to ensure completeness.

Validation level 2 and 3: Mirror checks with the record of the previous month are applied to identify changes in the cells.

Validation level 4: Cross-checks with the wholesale price indices.

Validation level 5: Cross-checks with unit value indices - data base for the calculation of the unit values comes from the Prodcom survey, various stock exchange prices.

Estimates for non-response: Treatment of missing prices: extrapolation using the average price development of all remaining products in the elementary aggregate, carry forward the last surveyed price, expert approximation.

Type of index: the Austrian producer price index is a chain-linked Laspeyres Index, reference year is 2021, with revised weights (annually) and revised basket of products and reporting units (annually). The chain-linking method one month overlap (December of the previous year) is used. The index is compiled on the basis of real price information. The weights are based on the value of production sold. The micro-weights for the PRODCOM (10-digit) headings are based on the PRODCOM survey (t-1) and the macro-weights for CPA 6-digit headings and higher aggregates are based on the input/output statistics (makematrix, t-2). Weights are price-updated up to December of the previous year.

Index compilation:

Stage 1 - for each price quote series (this is one single product for one observation unit) a price relative is compiled for the entire time series.

Stage 2 – an unweighted average (geometric mean) is made of these price relatives for all products in the same Prodcom 10 digit heading.

Stage 3 – these Prodcom 10 digit heading indices are combined using weights (value of sold production) from the Prodcom survey.

Stage 4 – the higher level indices are aggregated using weights (value of sold production- domestic) from the input/output statistics (makematrix, t-2). This weighted aggregation is done for all levels of NACE and MIGS including an industrial total.

Selection of replacement items: products are replaced when their market position starts declining or when the product becomes permanently unavailable. The replaced product should have the same quality characteristics as the old one and, if possible, any differences in the quality are removed.

Adjustments for quality differences: following methods are used for quality adjustments: direct price comparison, automatic linking, overlap pricing, expert estimation.
See also:
Statistische Nachrichten (Statistics Newsletter), Heft 4/2007: Erzeugerpreisindex für Sachgüter: Umstieg auf einen Echtpreisindex.

Method of weighting and chaining: the weights are updated annually, the chain-linking method one month overlap (December of the previous year) is used. The micro-weights for the PRODCOM (10-digit) headings are based on the PRODCOM survey and the macro-weights for the CPA 6-digit headings and higher aggregates are based on the input/output statistics (makematrix, t-2). Weights are price-updated up to December of the previous year.

No working day or seasonal adjustment is foreseen.
There is only one calculation method used for compiling the indices.

Not available.