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.
"Dame Gruev" 4, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
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
1 May 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
1 May 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
1 May 2025
3.1. Data description
Data on average gross and net wage paid per employee (total, by sectors and departments).
3.2. Classification system
National Classification of Activities - NKD Rev. 2. Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics - NTES 2013.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Sectors A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R and S except sectors T and U according to NKD Rev. 2 (NACE Rev.2) and all divisions from 01 to 96 except divisions 06, 50, 97, 98 and 99 according to NKD Rev.2 (NACE Rev.2).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Total paid gross wages (wages in total) include: paid net wages for the reporting month, paid personal tax and paid contributions for pension and disability insurance, health insurance, employment and professional disease.Total paid net wages covers payments for full time work, less than full time work and more than full time work (overtime work), payments in respect of annual vacation, public holidays, paid leave up to seven days, paid leave for educational purposes, for sick leave up to 30 days, etc., payments for time spent in army service and civil duties, etc., differences based on increasing the base salary and the value of the salary point, payments based on periodical or final settlements, profit-sharing bonuses, no matter which period they refer to, payments for trainees and payments based on work experience. The net wage does not cover payments from common assets, payments of per diem allowances, travel expenses, reimbursements for transport to work and home, etc., payments for sick-leave over 30 days, payments based on temporary employment contracts as well as other payments for which personal tax and contributions are not paid.
3.5. Statistical unit
Statistical units are the business entities from sectors A to S according to NKD Rev. 2. Report on employees and salaries is filled out by all business entities in private and other ownership in Republic of North Macedonia. A report is also filled out by business entities which are in foundation, liquidation or bankruptcy. Reports are filled out according to the organisational-territorial principle at the municipal level. If the business entities have parts or component units outside the municipality where they are located, they don’t report those units because they are obliged to fill in another report to the statistical authority in the territory where they are situated. If this component unit does not have the necessary data, the business entity from which the unit is part of, is obliged to provide all required data. From the beginning of 2018 data are obtained from Public Revenue Office.
3.6. Statistical population
Statistical population are business entities from sectors A to S according to NKD Rev.2 (NACE Rev.2). The administrative source is the Public Revenue Office, but the survey is still being conducted on a sample of about 70% of sector-level employees, including all large and medium-sized enterprises.
3.7. Reference area
Republic of North Macedonia
Activities outside the geographical coverage are not included in the data
3.8. Coverage - Time
Dataset has been disseminated since 1991.
3.9. Base period
2021=100
Data is published as Indices to Eurostat. On national level they are published in indices and in absolute values (denars).
Month
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National: Law on State Statistics (“Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia” No. 54/97, 21/07, 51/11, 104/13, 42/14, 192/15, 27/16, 83/18, 220/18 and 31/20), Programme of Statistical Surveys 2023-2027 (“Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia” No. 29/23 and 57/25).
International: Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European parlament on European business statistics; Erostat Methodology on Short-term statistics
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Time series from January 2010, via eDAMIS to Eurostat and via SDDS+ to the International Monetary Fund.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Individual data are protected by the Law on State Statistics. Data collected with statistical surveys from the reporting units or indirectly from administrative or other sources are confidential data and are used only for statistical purposes. Results from the statistical processing may also generate information considered as confidential, for example: anonymised individual data, tables with low level of aggregation, as well as unreleased data. The Policy on Statistical Confidentiality contains the basic principles used in the SSO.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
All individual or personal data, in each phase of statistical processing, are treated as confidential data and may be used only for statistical purposes. When releasing data from this survey at an aggregated level, there is no need for additional data treatment for the purpose of ensuring confidentiality.
8.1. Release calendar
Data are released in accordance with the Release Calendar, which is published on the web site of the State Statistical Office. The Release Calendar is prepared annually before the beginning of each year and is updated quarterly.
In accordance with the dissemination policy, all users have equal access to statistical data at the same time. Data are released on the web site at the same time for all users, which are informed with the Release Calendar, and no user has privileged access.
MAKStat - database available on the website of the SSO. The number of hits on the tables from the database is 2903.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
The use of microdata by external users is possible only for research purposes and is done in accordance with the Law on State Statistics (Article 41, Article 42 and Article 43). Access to anonymised microdata is defined by an internal procedure of the State Statistical Office "Rules for access to anonymised microdata for research purposes".
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Survey data are sent to Eurostat and they are released on the web site of this institution.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Methodological explanations are published on the website of the State Statistical Office.
A Quality Report is prepared after the final processing and dissemination of the data. The report is prepared in accordance with the internal manuals and is only for internal usage.
11.1. Quality assurance
The quality of the processes and products in the State Statistical Office is ensured by adhering to the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework within the European Statistical System - ESS-QAF. The quality criteria are also determined in the Law on State Statistics in Article 4b and Article 4c.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
There is no overall assessment of data quality based on standard quality criteria.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
External users are various scientific researchers, government instititions and bodies, Public Revenue Office - base for calculation and payment of contributions, Ministry of labor and social policy - for determining the minimum wage, business entities and other users who need these indicators in order to create their policies.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Starting from 2009, the State Statistical Office conducts a User Satisfaction Survey every three years.
12.3. Completeness
Considering the indicators required by Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European parlament on European business statistics, SSO provides 100% of them (52 indices).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The survey methodology and the data collection method ensure good coverage and accuracy of the data.
13.2. Sampling error
The survey is not conducted on a random sample and therefore there is no calculation of sampling errors.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Response rate is 100%; for all enterprises selected in the sample data are obtained from Public Revenue Office.
14.1. Timeliness
T+37
14.2. Punctuality
The data are published on the day announced in the Advance Release Calendar.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
There is geographical comparability of the released data at national and regional level. With respect to geographical comparability with other EU countries, it is also ensured because data are collected in line with EU regulations.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Cross domain coherence is ensured, compared to data from PRO (Public Revenue Office).
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence of data is ensured.
Standardized information on cost and burden is not systematically collected and not available
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data revision is made in accordance with the Statistical Data Revision Policy of the SSO.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revision of the data is done by changing the base year and a change of nomenclature.
18.1. Source data
The statistical survey "Monthly statistical survey on employees and wages" (LABOUR.1) is based on a sample. Data on business entities are taken from an administrative source - Public revenue office.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data are collected with monthly frequency.
18.3. Data collection
The statistical survey "Monthly statistical survey on employees and wages" (LABOUR.1) is based on a sample.
The data are collected through the Public Revenue Office (administrative source) with deadline T + 35.
18.4. Data validation
Validation of data is done in accordance with the defined control criteria.
Each month, after data are processed and before dissemination, final validation of data is made in order to ensure the quality of the statistical results.
Before transmission to Eurostat, mathematical and logical controls incorporated in calculation sheets are made.
18.5. Data compilation
Calculations: The indices are calculated with the previous year as the base year.
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustment is carried out.
No comments
Data on average gross and net wage paid per employee (total, by sectors and departments).
1 May 2025
Total paid gross wages (wages in total) include: paid net wages for the reporting month, paid personal tax and paid contributions for pension and disability insurance, health insurance, employment and professional disease.Total paid net wages covers payments for full time work, less than full time work and more than full time work (overtime work), payments in respect of annual vacation, public holidays, paid leave up to seven days, paid leave for educational purposes, for sick leave up to 30 days, etc., payments for time spent in army service and civil duties, etc., differences based on increasing the base salary and the value of the salary point, payments based on periodical or final settlements, profit-sharing bonuses, no matter which period they refer to, payments for trainees and payments based on work experience. The net wage does not cover payments from common assets, payments of per diem allowances, travel expenses, reimbursements for transport to work and home, etc., payments for sick-leave over 30 days, payments based on temporary employment contracts as well as other payments for which personal tax and contributions are not paid.
Statistical units are the business entities from sectors A to S according to NKD Rev. 2. Report on employees and salaries is filled out by all business entities in private and other ownership in Republic of North Macedonia. A report is also filled out by business entities which are in foundation, liquidation or bankruptcy. Reports are filled out according to the organisational-territorial principle at the municipal level. If the business entities have parts or component units outside the municipality where they are located, they don’t report those units because they are obliged to fill in another report to the statistical authority in the territory where they are situated. If this component unit does not have the necessary data, the business entity from which the unit is part of, is obliged to provide all required data. From the beginning of 2018 data are obtained from Public Revenue Office.
Statistical population are business entities from sectors A to S according to NKD Rev.2 (NACE Rev.2). The administrative source is the Public Revenue Office, but the survey is still being conducted on a sample of about 70% of sector-level employees, including all large and medium-sized enterprises.
Republic of North Macedonia
Activities outside the geographical coverage are not included in the data
Month
The survey methodology and the data collection method ensure good coverage and accuracy of the data.
Data is published as Indices to Eurostat. On national level they are published in indices and in absolute values (denars).
Calculations: The indices are calculated with the previous year as the base year.
The statistical survey "Monthly statistical survey on employees and wages" (LABOUR.1) is based on a sample. Data on business entities are taken from an administrative source - Public revenue office.
Monthly
T+37
There is geographical comparability of the released data at national and regional level. With respect to geographical comparability with other EU countries, it is also ensured because data are collected in line with EU regulations.
