Federal Statistical Office of Germany (DESTATIS)

E 21 "Business indices, seasonal adjustment

Statistisches Bundesamt
Gustav-Stresemann-Ring 11
D-65180 Wiesbaden

This indicator is part of the overall STS indicator system which supports business cycle observation. This Hours worked index shows the evolution of total hours actually worked (volume) in the enterprises active in “other services“ (according to annex D of the STS-regulation).

NACE Rev. 2 (Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community)

NACE Rev. 2 Divisions G45 and G46, Sections H, I, J, M_STS (M without 70.1, 72 and 75) and N_STS (N without 77, 81.1 and 81.3)

The objective of the hours worked index is to show the development in the volume of work done. The total number of hours worked represents the aggregate number of hours actually worked for the output of the observation unit during the reference period. This variable excludes hours paid but not actually worked such as for annual leave, holidays and sickness leave. It also excludes meal breaks and commuting between home and work. Included are hours actually worked during normal working hours; hours worked in addition to those; time which is spent at the place of work on tasks such as preparing the site and time corresponding to short periods of rest at the work place.

The index is based on an estimation model that uses among other sources persons employed from STS as input. In the respective NACE codes for "other services" mix-models are applied, where different thresholds (depending on NACE code) define whether a unit is covered by primary survey or by administrative data. If the unit is covered by administrative data, the only information available is employees viable for social security (no self-employed, no minor employment). In accordance with the requirements for Business Demography self-employed persons are imputed to complement the administrative data. The thresholds below which administrative date is used are in NACE-division 45: 10 million Euro annual turnover or 100 employees; in NACE division 46: 20 million Euro annual turnover or 100 employees; in NACE section I: 150,000 Euro annual turnover; in all other NACE codes: 15 million Euro annual turnover or 250 employees. Furthermore, the deviating seasonal pattern of self-employed persons in terms of for example vacation or sick leave is not taken into account.

Legal unit

All relevant statistical units in the NACE-sections mentioned under section 3.3 according to the Business Register: ~1.8 million units (2014)

Country as a whole

Labour input outside the geographical territory of Germany is not included in the data.

Since 2010

2015 = 100

Index based on an estimated evolution of total hours worked

Calendar quarter

The laws regulating the collection, treatment and dissemination of statistical data are the Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 of 19 May 1998 concerning short-term statistics with implementing acts (e.g. Commission Regulation No 1503/2006 of 28 September 2006 concerning the definitions) as well as the Federal Statistics Act (1987), the national Trade Statistics Act (HdlStatG of 2001), the national Services Statistics Act (DlKonjStatG of 2013), the national Earning Statistics Act (VerdStatG of 2006) and the national Law governing the use of administrative sources for Statistics (VwVDG).

Data sent to Eurostat may contain confidential data to compile the European aggregate.

Confidentiality is guaranteed by section 16 of the Federal Statistics Act. It requires that respondents must be informed about their rights and obligations in providing statistical information. This rule is strictly followed. It also applies to the notification that individual data are only used for statistical purposes and - subject to protection procedures - for scientific purposes.

Furthermore, Chapter V “Statistical Confidentiality” of the REGULATION (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council applies.

As regards the confidentiality of data, methods of primary and secondary confidentiality checking have been developed and are being used.

A continuously updated release calendar containing the precise release dates for the reference periods of the following year is published on the website of the FSO always in october.

National results on hours worked in "other services" will not be disseminated and consequently are not included in the release calendar.

https://www.destatis.de/SiteGlobals/Forms/Suche/Termine/EN/Terminsuche_Formular.html?nn=43216

National results on hours worked in "other services" will not be disseminated and consequently no user access is granted. The data is only created for and provided to Eurostat.

Quarterly data transmission to Eurostat

Not available

Not available

Not available

Not available

The data are sent to Eurostat be released also as national data.

Only internal methodology reports. There is no public methodology documentation planned.

Not available

General description ot the DESTATIS quality system:

The data of German official statistics enjoy a reputation of high reliability both in Germany and abroad. The Federal Statistical Office has committed itself to assure and further enhance the level of quality already attained. In order to achieve this task – also in the European system – the activities of the Federal Statistical Office are based on quality guidelines. To assure quality in the long term, the Federal Statistical Office applies a variety of systematic quality assurance measures.

Detailed descriptions can be found here:

https://www.destatis.de/EN/Methods/Quality/_node.html

A feasability study concluded that hours worked can not be collected in "other services" by primary survey. Consequently, an estimation method was implemented. Various tests were carried out and quality aspects were considered as sufficient, especially with a view on the cost-benefit ratio (costs are minimal and observation units are not burdened).

There is no national user demand. Results are only compiled based on a legal obligation for data transmission towards Eurostat.

Not available

The delivery commitment is completely fulfilled.

The estimation model is considered accurate enough for contribution to European aggregates, but not for stand-alone national publication.

Not applicable because an estimation procedure is used (no sampling).

The estimation model could have flaws that lead to bias - eventhough it was tested before implementation. Furthermore, the model is based on input data from several primary sources that could contain errors of the usual kind.

Data have to be transmitted to Eurostat 90 days after the end of the reference-quarter.

The transmission date is met in general.

Only data for Germany as a whole covered (NUTS0), no distinction on the level of Federal States (Länder).

The estimation model was kept consistent since date of first availability. But because of a change in the sample design of the underlying quarterly survey of earnings since 2012 the comparability over time is limited.

Coherence with National Accounts is only partly given (because of different estimation methods).

Not applicable

No burden for enterprises. Only internal costs mainly in the Federal Statistical Office.

The internal burden cannot be quantified but should be small (roundabout 8 hours/quarter).

The general revision policy of the Federal Statistical Office is published on the FSO website

https://www.destatis.de/EN/Methods/Quality/GeneralRevisionsPolicy.html

This policy applies to national publications and data sent to Eurostat.

Data revisions are necessary due to new information, methodological changes or if errors are detected. Detected errors are corrected immediately, while new information is included through regular revisions. The regular revisions are described in the relevant National Reference Metadata for the variable 210 “index of persons employed” (this index feeds into the estimation model for hours worked, which has to be revised accordingly). Methodological changes can occur because of e.g. changes of the survey method, revisions of the relevant classification, change of the base year (rebasing and change of the weights).

For the estimation procedure hours worked the following sources are used:

1. Quarterly survey of earnings (based on German national law).

2. Number of persons employed from the monthly STS survey (NACE Rev. 2 divisions 45, 46 and section I) and quarterly STS survey (NACE Rev. 2 sections H, J, M and N).

3. Components on working hours from the Institute on Employment Research in Germany (IAB).

Quarterly; for the number of persons employed in NACE divisions 45 and 46 as well as NACE section I also monthly data collection

There is no data collection done in the sense of a survey. In the estimation procedure we use data already available from other surveys.

The data validation consists of different quality processing steps. The source data are checked as well as the estimated hours worked itself. First of all plausibility checks happen on the micro-data level. Missing data are estimated by the appropriate estimation method. Additionally, the results are checked on the macro data level by comparing change rates of unadjusted as well as adjusted indices. The checks are in general “intra-data checks” but the data are also compared with other STS data, for instance the results for persons employed are compared with the development of the turnover index. In addition, the seasonal pattern of the preceding quarters are taken as a basis as well as the development of other NACE-codes to assess the quality and to detect errors. For the estimation process the amount of the revisions of the source data is also observed.

Hours worked are calculated (estimated) in the following way:

In a first step the number of hours worked per employee is calculated by the paid working hours (source: quarterly survey of earnings) subtracted by holidays, sick days and public holidays plus an accounting effect on hours worked plus a compensation for seasonal influences (source: IAB). In a second step the absolute number of hours worked is calculated by the hours worked per employee (from quarterly survey of earnings and from IAB) multiplied with the number of employees (from STS).

Calendar and seasonal adjustment based on X12-ARIMA for Divisions 45 and 46 as well as Section I; Calendar and seasonal adjustment based on X13 in JDemetra+ 2.2 for all other NACE codes.

None