Statistics Portugal

National Accounts Department / Short Term Statistics Unit

Mrs. Adelina Andrade

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)

Avenida Antonio José de Almeida, 5

1000-043 Lisboa, Portugal

These indices (persons employed, hours worked and gross wages and salaries) are short term indicators of the business sectors (industry, construction, trade sector and services).  

Industry Employment, Wages and salaries and Hours worked Indices: “Inquérito Mensal à Indústria – Volume de Negócios e Emprego.”;

Construction Employment, Wages and Salaries and Hours worked Indices:“Inquérito Mensal à Construção e Obras Públicas (Emprego – Horas Trabalhadas – Remunerações)”.

Retail Trade Employment, Wages and Salaries and Hours worked Indices: “Inquérito Mensal ao Comercio a retalho – Volume de Negócios e Emprego.”;

Services Employment, Wages and salaries and Hours worked Indices: “Inquérito Mensal aos Serviços – Volume de Negócios e Emprego.”.While there's a derrogation for base 2021=100, includes g45 and g46

NACE Rev. 2 and CC

Activity coverage:

Industry: Sections B to E (excluding Division 37 and 39) of NACE Rev. 2.

Construction: Section F of NACE Rev.2.

Retail Trade: division 47of NACE Rev. 2.

Services: Section G excluding NACE 47, and Sections H to N of NACE Rev.2 excluing Sections K and L of NACE Rev.2

Size coverage:

Enterprises with 50 or more persons employed are observed exhaustively. The following size classes are used: 1-5, 6-9, 10-20, 21-49, 50-200, 201-500, 500 and more.

The reference population represents all the statistical units recorded on the General Register of Statistical Units (FGUE – Ficheiro Geral de Unidades Estatísticas), whose last update for the variables total turnover and persons employed occurred in the previous 3 years of the reference year.

Concept coverage:

self-employed persons are included as long as the units they work for are responsible for social security discounts. In the sampling process self entrepneurs are also included.

Hours worked are in line with the number of persons considered.

The number of hours worked, the number of employees and wages and salaries definitions correspond to the Commission Regulation Nr. 1503/2006 (Variable No. 210, 220 and 230).

Hours worked are surveyd in all annexes.

Employment and Wages and salaries in Construction are surveyed and obtained by NACE Rev. 2 at 2 digit level and CC.

Employment and Wages and salaries in industry and in services are partial surveyed and partial come from Administrative source - Social Security Data

Employment and Wages and salaries in Retail trade derive fully from Administrative source - Social Security Data

Enterprise

In all annexes the sample is composed by both exhaustive and random parts. The exhaustive segment corresponds to the last quintile of either the turnover or number of employees (defined at 5 digits of NACE Rev. 2).

Industry: all units in business register of section B to E. Sample Frame: 11172, Units reporting: 2103, units with administrative source 1808 for Base Year 2015 year 2019

Construction: all units classified in section F in business register. Sample Frame: 13854, Units reporting: 572 for Base Year 2015 year 2019

Retail Trade: all units in business register of division 47. Sample Frame:18398, Units reporting: 1393 for Base Year 2015 year 2019 all with administrative data for wages and number of persoson empoyed

Services: all units in business register in Section G excluding NACE 47, and Sections H to N of NACE Rev.2 excluing Sections K and L of NACE Rev.2 Sample Frame: 74631 Units reporting: 3020, units with administrative source 1633 for Base Year 2015 year 2019.

Portugal - all the economic territory is included. activities outside the geographical coverage are not included

Industry: Base 2015: from 01/2005 onwards

Construction:  Base 2015: from 01/2005 onwards

Retail trade: Base 2015: from 01/2005 onwards

Services: Base 2015: from 01/2005 onwards

Base year: 2015

Reference year: 2019

Data are transmitted to Eurostat and published in PT as Indices

Month

Legal basis:

The general framework is the law ”Lei 22/2008” from May 13th and European regulation (EU) 2020/1197.

Obligation on units to provide data:

The survey is mandatory and fines up to EUR 50,000 be applied.

Planned changes in legal basis, obligation to respond and frame used

None

Data are transmitted to other international organizations (Eurostat and OECD).

The National Statistical Law (”Lei 22/2008” from May 13th) establishes the main principles as well as the working methods and composition of the Statistical System.

NACE REV 2 indices with less than 4 units or a response rate of 85% are considered confidencial, except if all units gave their formal authorisation to release data.

An advance release calendar that provides notice one-quarter in advance of the precise release dates is disseminated on the Statistics Portugal Internet website [http://www.ine.pt]. In addition, a two-month in advance release calendar is disseminated in Informação Estatística, (in Portuguese). Free copies can be ordered from the contact person shown on the dissemination formats page.

https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_calendarios&xlang=en

Simultaneous release to all interested parties

The data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing the press release (“Destaque” in Portuguese) to the media and by simultaneously placing the data on the INE Internet website [http://www.ine.pt].

Identification of internal government access to data before release

Data is not provided to the Ministry  

Transmission to Eurostat and further use of the statistics

Data for annex A,B,C  and D are transmitted to Eurostat by STADIUM using SDMX - ML version 4.5 at the same time as data is released, or the day before under embargo

Industry: Monthly, 36 days after the end of reference period

Construction: Monthly, 39-40 days after the end of reference period

Retail trade: monthly, 30 days after the end of reference period

Services: monthly, 40-41 days after the end of reference period

Data is sent to Eurostat with the same delays as published in PT

Frequency: monthly, press release available at http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_destaques&xlang=en

Activity Coverage:

Industry:NACE Rev. 2 Section B to E and their respective divisions. MIGS (capital goods, consumer durable and non-durable consumer goods, intermediate goods, energy).

Construction: Section F

Retail Trade:  Selected aggregates as defined in annex C of COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1165/98.

Services: Section G excluding NACE 47, and Sections H to N of NACE Rev.2 excluing Sections K and L of NACE Rev.2 and their respective divisions.

Length of time series: from 01/2005 (NACE Rev.2, Base 2015)

Presentation: All of the variables are transmitted as an index in an unadjusted form. In addition, indices of Hours worked are calendar adjusted.

Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases: No ministerial commentary is attached to the release of data by the statistical office.

The “Anuário Estatístico de Portugal” year 2019 (Statistical Yearbook of Portugal) is a bilingual publication (Portuguese/English)

https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_destaques&DESTAQUESdest_boui=382056805&DESTAQUESmodo=2

https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_publicacoes&PUBLICACOESpub_boui=444301590&PUBLICACOEStema=00&PUBLICACOESmodo=2

Data are published in www.ine.pt (press release, excel format file and historical data access on-line database).

http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_base_dados&contexto=bd&selTab=tab2

 There is no public dissemination of micro data. Micro data are available for scientific investigations after confidentiality treatment of data.

Data are sent to Eurostat to be used in European aggregates and/or to be released as national data.

Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics

A detailed methodological note in Portuguese only for base year 2010 is available free at www.ine.pt document nº 136 at: http://smi.ine.pt/DocumentacaoMetodologica/Detalhes/1189?modal=1

The detailed methodological note for base 2015 is at this time under internal (organic units of INE) approval.

Not available.

Monthly micro data are analyzed, checking the major changes on monthly and annual growth rates at enterprise level and also cross checking with other related variables of the unit’s answer. If necessary, units are contacted by telephone or email. Indices are analyzed to check the coherence of the results and, if necessary, the procedure is restarted.

All these procedures respect the quality policy defined in INE’s Code of Practice that can be found at INE website.

Indices are based on reliable data; Publication of results is always punctual; Further methodological details and other information can be found in point 14; multiple plausibility checks with different sources are done.

Short-term statistics are used by different national (such as Central Bank, Ministry of Finance and researchers) and international institutions (Eurostat) and non-institutional users, according to the needs expressed in the Statistical Superior Council (SSC). The SSC is the body where are analyzed the user’s needs and defined the Statics Program. There are no user’s requests in addition to what it is available.

Apart from occasional user surveys aimed at specific target groups, Statistics Portugal conducts 6 permanent user satisfaction surveys targeted at the users of 6 different SP services: the User Support Service (responding to information requests), SP Portal (website), SP Libraries, Study visits hosted by SP, Training sessions to basic and secondary school teachers aiming at improving statistical literacy and Training sessions in the context of Statistics Portugal Information Network in Higher Education Institutions Libraries.

User satisfaction measured in each of the permanent user satisfaction surveys is summarised into a user satisfaction index using the extreme balance responses (EBR). This approach values the extreme answers in detriment of the “central” valuations which tend to represent a less expressive dissatisfaction or satisfaction. The scale weights are as follows: EBR = F1 * (-1) + F2 * (-0,5) + F3 * (-0,25) + F4 * (0,25) + F5 * (0,5) + F6, where Fi means the relative frequency of observed values for each one of the categories i (i= 1,…,6). Data is referenced in a metric scale between -1 and +1, where values next to -1 mean full dissatisfaction and values near +1 mean full satisfaction.

Results have been steady since 2014 and the user satisfaction index reached 0,65 EBR in 2019.

The index of persons employed, hours worked and wages and salaries are fully compliant regarding STS-Regulation. There are no requests of additional information.

non response rate for 2022 is as folllows:

It is not possible to indicate a classical sampling error.

Response Rate

Industry/ Retail Trade/ Services: A threshold of 85% is defined for dissemination. Nevertheless, usually data is published with a response rate of more than 90%.

Construction: A threshold of 85% is defined for dissemination. Nevertheless, usually data is published with a response rate above 85%.

Actions to speed up or increase the rate of response

A lot of checks are carried out at the micro and macro data level. For example the following processing errors may occur:

A) Treatment on micro-data-level

• Human errors during the data editing process: these errors are often recognized with automated checks – online validation of chain and YOY rates of the unit;
• Plausibility errors: a lot of checks are carried out automatically (but under possibility of human interaction): e.g. check of completeness/ sums/ horizontal logical dependences/ vertical relations/ average rates/ minimum/maximum values, etc..
• Imputation errors: the imputed value is not within a plausible range of the per capita values by unit

The qualified checking of original respondent data, contacts to reporting units for corrections and the usage of sophisticated plausibility routines shall minimize the processing errors on micro-data-level.

B) Treatment on macro-data-level

• Final checks with analyze-tables (aggregates / more complex relations). These tables include all variables of the STS-survey. The macro data tabled are verified by computer programs but also by the staff whether these macro-data as publication figures look plausible. The persons responsible for the index calculation have their own computer programs to test the index-plausibility of the different data at 3 and 2 digit level and for all aggregates. If inconsistencies are detected the data must be verified at micro-level again by using the raw data of the questionnaire.
• Model effects, such as:

- Imputation errors: the usage of previous period values tends to result in under or overestimating the real development (especially if big enterprises' values are missing). Therefore specific imputation methods for missing data are used to correct these errors.

 - Overcoverage / Undercoverage:  Classification errors and Overcoverage are observed especially at the reference periods of January due to changes of the respondent units (i.e. deaths of enterprises, changes in enterprise structures, new classifications). Undercoverage:

One of the reasons is the loss of responding units due to false classifications and the difficulty to find alternative enterprises during the reference year, yet it is not possible to quantify the under coverage rate.

Recommendations previewed in the Final Report of the Task Force Retail Trade Quality  are applied to all indicators, mainly book 3.

The response rate is normally very high for the first release, nevertheless in case of non-response the largest units are contacted by telephone and units may also be contacted by fax. Ultimately a fine may be imposed.

Industry: This indicator is released 36 days after the end of the reference period. The monthly data is considered to be definitive one year after the end of the calendar year in which the reference month falls. Revisions are made to the two previous periods.

Construction: This indicator is released 39 -40 days after the end of the reference period. The monthly data is considered to be definitive one year after the end of the calendar year in which the reference month falls. Revisions are made to the two previous periods.

Retail Trade: This indicator is released 30 days after the end of the reference period. The monthly data is considered to be definitive one year after the end of the calendar year in which the reference month falls. Revisions are made to the two previous periods.

Services: This indicator is released 40 to 41 days after the end of the reference period. The monthly data is considered to be definitive one year after the end of the calendar year in which the reference month falls. Revisions are made to the two previous periods.

Timetable of data collection: Questionnaires are sent around the 25th of the reference month. The enterprises are requested to answer within 10 days (calendar days) of the end of the reference month.

STS deadlines have been respected.

Due to harmonized STS indices in the European Union, it is possible to compare calculated Portuguese aggregates with those of other European countries. There is no regional disaggregation, but all national territory is covered, including the AR’s (Azores and Madeira).

To ensure comparability over time, it is tried to keep the data base as steady as possible. STS indices are compared over time (previous month and year). Comparisons with NA accounts (quarter and annual) are made every 2 years. Base 2015 series have been back casted until 2005. Base 2005 series have been back casted until 2000.

Cross-checks with absolute STS-values (previous month and year).  At the first release moment no other data is available for comparisons. At the end of each year an annual trend is compared with the trend of the administrative source IES/SBS. 3 months after the release period comparisons with an administrative source – Social Security - for 2 digits level NACE Rev 2 (confidential data).

Industry, Services and Construction: Aggregate levels derive from weighting 3 digit level indices (not published).

Retail Trade totals are obtained indirectly by weighting elementary indices at 4 digit level.

according to a questionnaire send to all companiesin the sample in 2016, before incluing administrative data:

Industry: Cost and burden can only be measured for the whole variables 120,121,122 210, 220 and 230. Costs is 7983 hours and burden 32642hours;response rate 73.9%

Construction: Cost and burden can only be measured for the whole variables 110, 210, 220 and 230. Costs is 4437 hours and burden 4425 hours, response rate 76.1%

Retail Trade: cost and burden can only be measured for the whole variables 120, 210, 220 and 230. Costs is 6749 hours and burden 11620 hours;response rate 74.4%

Services: cost and burden can only be measured for the whole variables 120, 210, 220 and 230. Costs is 5918 hours and burden 31397 hours.  Response rate 74.3%

The document “Politica de Revisões” (revision policy) contains the guidelines to follow. This document can be found following the link:  https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_inst_politrevisao

In the particular case all STS indicators in every reference period m, m-1 and m-2 are revised and the revisons are published at the same time as the press release (notes). in m+15 (in the press release of MArch of the following year) all year is revised and closed. only in case of 'extraordinary revision' data will be reopend.

QPI - Period considered from january 2019 till december 2022.

Type of source: Data are obtained through statistical surveys and Administrative Source (social Security)for employment and wages and salaries of the units in the sample

Frame on which the source is based: The General Register of Statistical Units (FGUE – Ficheiro Geral de Unidades Estatísticas). 

Sample of census: Industry, Construction, Retail Trade, Services are stratified sample surveys. 

Criteria for stratification: 

The reference universe of these surveys are composed by enterprises whose NACE is between code’s “05” and “82”, with exception of the division 64. 65 and 66 from section K (Financial and Insurance Activities), and the sub-division 68322 (Condominium’s Administration). Also, units belonging to the Madeira Off-shore aren’t considered, since their activity is classified as Financial. Though section L but sub-division 68322 is collected indices are not determined.

First, the reference population represents all the statistical units recorded on the General Register of Statistical Units (FGUE – Ficheiro Geral de Unidades Estatísticas), whose last update for the variables total turnover and persons employed occurred in the previous 3 years of the reference year.

On a second phase of selection, quartiles of accumulated value of number of persons employed (NPS), turnover (VVN) and exports are calculated, by NACE groups. Then, all units whose NPS and VVN are inferior, simultaneously, to the first quartile calculated by NACE are excluded of the sample. Exceptions are made for units with exports values equal or higher than the respective quartile, new units, or unit units with more than 150 employees.

According to Eurostat recommendations, the sample must guarantee around 80% of the total turnover by economical activity. Therefore, the sampling frame only contains units whose turnover is equal or higher than a maximum value calculated between the 20% quintile and EUR 150.000.

The sizing of the sample is made in order to guarantee one definitive degree of precision of the estimates by stratum. In general, the sample is dimensioned tolerating a maximum coefficient of variation of 25% in each stratum. As reference to the intended precision, it is considered the variation of the statistics of the total for the variables of stratification number of persons employed and turnover.

Some criteria of exhaustiveness are applied, considering of obligator inquiry the companies whose accumulated value, of number of persons employed and turnover is superior to 80% or 90% of the total of these variables, depending on the grouping of NACE for diffusion.

Every year a new base of sampling is constituted, considering the relative alterations to the relevance of the companies in the activity where they belong, as well as the questions related with the demography of the companies. The update of the sample is made annually, renewing about 20% of the current sample.

Although the necessity to keep some stability in the calculation of the indices, we considered that the enumerated criteria adapts to the volatileness of the market and the reality of each sector of activity.

Industry: The sample has 2,436 units.

Construction: The sample has 509 units. 

Retail Trade: The sample has 1583 units.

Services: The sample has 3113 units.

Threshold values and percentages: No threshold is applied.

Frequency of updating the sample: Annually: a new sample is designed and with March release this new sample is incorporated in the indices. Each month the sample is updated for deaths and, when a given stratum loses representativeness (coefficient of variation below 20%) new units are included.

Data are collected on a monthly basis.

Questionnaires used in the survey:

There is only one questionnaire - online, that allows all enterprises to reply according to their NACE code.

Industry: The questionnaires that are used to collect data for these indicators collect the following variables: turnover (total, domestic market, EU countries and non-EU countries), sales of products, sales of merchandise, sales of manufactured products, value of the services provided, number of persons employed, number of hours worked, wages and salaries orders at the beginning of the period, new orders received, orders cancelled, orders satisfied in the period and stock of orders.

Construction: The questionnaires used to collect data for this indicator collect the following variables (except for group 41.1): number of persons employed (total, workers, administrative, owner that works), split by construction of buildings and civil engineering, number of hours worked (total, workers, administrative, owner that works), split by construction of buildings and civil engineering, wages and salaries (total, workers, administrative, owner that works), split by construction of buildings and civil engineering. For group 41.1 turnover, total employment, hours worked and wages and salaries are collected.

Retail Trade: The questionnaires that are used to collect data for this indicator collect the following variables: turnover number of persons employed, number of hours worked, wages and salaries.

Services: The questionnaires that are used to collect data for this indicator collect the following variables: turnover, number of persons employed, number of hours worked, wages and salaries.

More details regarding the questionnaire and methodology can be found, only in portuguese, at http://smi.ine.pt/DocumentacaoMetodologica/Detalhes/1189

http://smi.ine.pt/SuporteRecolha/Detalhes/10181

Planned changes in national questionnaires: reduce burden in industry an construction

Data collection media:The survey is carried out by an electronic questionnaire.

Planned changes in data collection methodology: improving validation on line in web questionnaires.

Comparisons on line with previous month and n-12. Off line comparisons within the stratum of companies are done. Data is validated off line with previous and n-12 months.

The annex presents the rules are applied online, where micro data can be monitorized and edited.

Estimates for non-response:

Automatic estimates considerer 3 situations:

A) the unit was in the sample already in n-12 and n-13 - estimation n = n-1*(n-12/n-13);

B) the unit was in the sample already in n-12 but not in n-13 - estimation n uses auxiliary variable of the answers in stratum n/n-12 *n -1(of the unit);

C) the unit was not in the sample neither n-12 neither n-13 -estimation n uses auxiliary variable of the answers in stratum n/n-1n*n-1(of the unit);

Wages auxiliary variable is determined - wages per capita. One of 4 situations described is applied to this variable and then multiplied by the estimation value of employment;

Hours worked auxiliary variable is determined -hours per capita per working day. One of 4 situations described is applied to this variable and then multiplied by the estimation value of employment and working days of month n.

Employment - follows one of the 3 general situations.

Manual expert estimation of non-response is allowed.

The document IVNE_estimation of non-response (only in portuguese) describes in all detail the estimation for turnover as for social variables

Estimates for grossing-up to population levels:

The sample results are grossed up taking into account the number of enterprises in the Population and in the sample for each stratum.

Type of index: All indices are expressed in a Laspeyres index type and refer to a rate of change in the latest period compared to the previous period.

Method of weighting and chaining:

Industry: The weighting factor is the Total employment for the 3-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 obtained from the administrative data IES (informação empresarial simplificada) and IRS (income tax) confronted with national accounts values.

Construction: The weighting factor is the Total employment at 4-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 obtained from the administrative data IES (informação empresarial simplificada) and IRS (income tax) confronted with national accounts values. The split between construction of building and civil engineering can also be obtained from IES.

Retail Trade: The weighting factor is the Total hours worked for the 4-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 obtained from the administrative data IES (informação empresarial simplificada) and IRS (income tax) confronted with national accounts values.

Services: The weighting factor is the Total employment for the 3-digit level of NACE Rev. 2 obtained from the administrative data IES (informação empresarial simplificada) and IRS (income tax) confronted with national accounts values.

Planned changes in production methods:Chaining indices with moving weights.

Frequency of weight update: Every five years.

WDA, SA and other calculations:

The monthly hours worked series are working days and calendar effect adjusted using JDemetra, Tramo-Seats and ARIMA X12.

CALENDAR ADJUSTMENT

- regressor used: country-specific (national holidays)

- moving holiday effects are adjusted for easter

- no leap year adjustement,

- type of calendar adjustment: Regression.

Not available.