STATISTICS AUSTRIA

Directorate “Business Statistics” Trade and Services

Guglgasse 13
A-1110 Wien

Index of hours worked.
The purpose of this indicator is to reflect the quarterly development of the hours worked in the relevant categories of NACE Rev. 2. Hours worked are calculated as average hours worked per employee multiplied by the numbers of employees.

NACE Rev. 2

The indicators cover economic activities of NACE Rev. 2 division 47 in the breakdown required by STS-R.
There is no threshold in terms of size criteria.

Generally the definitions correspond to those provided for in the "Methodology of Short Term Business Statistics" produced by Eurostat. Hours worked are calculated as average hours worked per employee multiplied by the numbers of employees.
Hours worked of self-employed personnel are not included.
The reference for the hours worked is a week per quarter- based on the design of the Micro Census Labour Force Survey.

Enterprise is the observation unit, persons of the Micro Census Labour Force Survey are the reporting units.

The target population are all active enterprises in BR in NACE Rev. 2 division 47 at the end of the relevant reference periods. BR covers enterprises with at least one employee. The frame is the BR. Total population is about 45.000 enterprises.
Statistical data from the Micro Census Labour Force Survey based on individual hours worked of employees is linked with relevant enterprises in BR.

The geographical area covered is Austria as a whole.

The indices only consists of data regarding Austria.

Time series available for all aggregates of NACE Rev. 2 required by STS-R:
- From the first quarter 2018 time series according to the NACE Rev. 2 on base year 2015=100 are available since 2010.
- Time series according to the NACE Rev. 2 on base year 2010=100 are available from Q1/2010 till Q4/2017

The base year for indices is 2015 since the first reference period 2018.

Indices of hours worked. No absolute figures are published.

Quarterly hours worked of the Micro Census Labour Force Survey.

The European legal base is the Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 concerning short-term statistics in the current version, the national legal base in Austria is the National Regulation concerning short term statistics in trade and services (BGBl. II Nr. 233/2003 in the current version).

No data are transmitted to other international organisations (except Eurostat).

The legal base for statistical confidentiality is:
— The general obligation to publish statistics and the strict provision on statistical confidentiality is regulated by the “Federal Statistics Act 2000” ("Bundesstatistikgesetz 2000") in the current version.
— The protection of personal data is covered by the “Data Protection Act 2000” ("Datenschutzgesetz 2000 (DSG 2000)", in the current version).
— National Regulation concerning short term statistics in trade and services (BGBl. II Nr. 233/2003 in the current version, BGBl. II Br. 259/2013).

Aggregated figures consisting of data of less than 4 enterprises are regarded confidential and therefore not published.
In general published STS aggregates are not confidential.

A release calendar covering release dates of the first/second half of the year is published on the website of Statistics Austria. News releases are announced in the release calendar as well.

http://www.statistik.at/web_en/

Release is simultaneous.
No prior access before official data release.
The „Federal Statistics Act 2000“ ("Bundesstatistikgesetz 2000" in the current version) explicitly states in §30 (3) the obligation of Statistics Austria to inform without delay the Federal Ministry responsible for the subject matter concerned about the results of statistical surveys and to publish them simultaneously.
According to the release calendar of Eurostat the data are transmitted to Eurostat.

The data are transmitted quarterly to Eurostat and disseminated quarterly to national users.

For the publication of yearly/half-yearly indices a news release is published featuring the key figures. News releases are issued at 9 a.m. CET online on the website of Statistics Austria.

National paper and electronic publications are:
- "Schnellberichte" (Quick Reports): "Schnellbericht 3.3: Konjunkturstatistik Handel und Dienstleistungen"
- "Statistische Übersichten" (Statistical Overviews -Supplement to "Statistische Nachrichten")
- "Statistisches Jahrbuch Österreichs 20xx" (Austrian Statistical Yearbook)
- Website of Statistics Austria: STATISTIK AUSTRIA - Trade, Services - Short Term Statistics
Variables and breakdown of results as required by STS-R.

The Database STATcube can be found on the Website of Statistics Austria: STATISTIK AUSTRIA - Trade, Services - Short Term Statistics - Stat. Databases (http://www.statistik.at/web_en/statistics/trade_services/short_term_statistics/index.html#reiter_dblinks)
This Database is updated with every publication and the NACE Rev. 2. levels as presented in point 3.3 are published. The time series goes back till 2010. Gross and calendar adjusted indices are provided as quarterly and yearly values.

No microdata are available.

Data are sent to Eurostat.

Metadata and quality reports:
- Statistical News 10/2013: "Short Term Statistics Trade and Services: Base year 2010 and new variables" (only available in German)
- Standardised metadata and quality report for Short Term Statistics in Trade and Services - (only available in German)
- Conceptual overview available on the website: STATISTIK AUSTRIA - Trade, Services - Short Term Statistics - Further information

Metadata and quality reports:
- Statistical News 10/2013: "Short Term Statistics Trade and Services: Base year 2010 and new variables" (only available in German)
- Standardised metadata and quality report for Short Term Statistics in Trade and Services - (only available in German)

Quality checks and validation of data are done throughout the whole compilation process. This is described in the standardised metadata and quality report for Short Term Statistics in Trade and Services on the website of Statistics Austria.
The chapter “Quality” of this 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.
Following relevant changes discussions with national experts and the Quality Committee of the Statistical Council of Statistics Austria are held for feedback and modification suggestions.

Indices are based on suitable data, regular meetings with decision making bodies and users take place. Publication of results is almost punctual.
Further methodological details and other information can be found in point 14.
Coverage of the indices is the whole Austrian territory.
Multiple plausibility checks with different sources are made.

Short Term Statistics are used by different national and international institutions and non-institutional users like media, enterprises, educational and research institutions and the public.
Examples for national users are federal ministries, political institutions, interest groups and tourism associations but there is also an internal use by other statistics produced by Statistics Austria.
International Institutions are e.g. European Commission, OECD, and the European Central Bank.

No index for user satisfaction is available, but there are regular meetings with national experts and essential users to react to new requirements, if these are not in contrast with legal necessities or constraints. In addition a user’s satisfaction survey takes place in periodic intervals.
The survey 2013 has covered trade and services as a whole, ratings were from "very good" to "unsatisfactory" according to Austria's grade system in school.
Actuality was rated mostly "very good" or "good" by users (both clear above 30%, N=24), and periodicity was rated "very good" by more than 70% of the users (N=20). Scope and level of detail was rated "very good" by more of 50% and good by more than 20% (N=20). The availability of data was rated "very good" by more than 70% of the users (N=21), the comprehensibility of presentation and of metadata were rated "very good" by approx. 80% of the users (N=20, N=12). Accuracy was rated "very good" by over 60% and "good" by over 20% (N=22). Comparability was rated "very good" by nearly 60% and "good" by over 25% (N=22).
Every year an advisory board for enterprise statistics is held where concepts and new developments are presented and discussed.

This index is complete, there are no gaps or missing data parts.

Hours worked from the Micro Census Labour Force Survey are the basis for calculation of indices. Therefore sampling errors calculated for this survey are relevant- to minimize the impact of these errors index calculation is based on average hours worked per employee per NACE publication level.
Although the Micro Census Labour Force Survey is mandatory, non-response errors can occur. No release of preliminary results.

Sampling errors for the Micro Census Labour Force Survey. The relative sampling error for the working population is approximately 1.2% for a selected representative quarter. To minimize the impact of these errors the data is adjusted for outliers and used as average hours worked per employee.

Micro Census is a survey based on households; the representativeness is with regard to households, not enterprises. For calculation of hours worked in the course of STS all data available from the Micro Cenus have been used.
Non-response is not a great problem in the Micro Census because the survey is mandatory. Problems can occur when enterprises are filed with the wrong NACE in the BR.

Complete datasets are transmitted to Eurostat 90 days after the end of the reference quarter.
Data are not revised after their first publication.

100% of the releases were delivered on time.

For the whole Austrian territory the same statistical concepts are applied.

Quarterly time series with base year 2015 and NACE Rev. 2: from Q1/2010
Quarterly time series with base year 2010 and NACE Rev. 2: from Q1/2010 till Q4/2017

Coherence has to be described in the standardised meta information and quality reports for each statistical product of Statistics Austria.
The most important sources for cross checks are structural business statistics and other statistical products of Statistics Austria e.g. social security statistics, labour cost index, Micro Census labour force survey, national accounts; studies from economic research institutes, news releases.
All indices (turnover, employment, hours worked and wage and salaries) are compared to assure consistency of developments.

Internal coherence is not applicable.

The enterprises have no burden, only administrative and statistical data is used. First data concerning costs (without implementation costs) will be available in the Cost & Burden Questionaire for 2015.

Generally no routine revisions; basic data for calculation of final results are available in time.
Major Revisions like base year changes are done according to Eurostat's requirements.

There is no revision calendar.
Data sent to Eurostat is the same which is published nationally.

Schedule is based on Eurostat's release calendar.
Benchmarking for the most important aggregates is done in regular intervals.
Results are compared to other relevant internal and external statistics. Differences in definitions and concepts have to be considered in the course of interpretation of results.
Revisions and methodological changes are discussed with all involved decision making bodies in advance and announced simultaneously.

Survey data for persons in the sample of the Micro Census Labour Force Survey has been used. There are approxemately 23,000 households per quarter in the sample.
Administrative source for number of employees is the Main Association of Austrian Social Security, the BR is also used.

The reference for the number of employees is the last working day of the calendar month. The reference for the Micro Census Labour Force Survey is a selected week of the reference quarter.

Monthly data sets are transmitted from the Main Association of Austrian Social Security electronically and combined with the enterprises of the BR. Micro Census Data are transmitted quarterly. For purposes of short term statistics average hours worked data can be calculated for the relevant categories of NACE.

Validation level 0: Mainly administrative data sources are used so structure of files and format of data are not checked especially.
Validation level 1: All considerable value-changes are controlled. An adjustment for extreme outliers is used to exclude persons with extremely high hours worked in the NACE categories.
Validation level 2: The actual reporting period is compared with the last and the corresponding reporting period of the last year.
Validation level 3: The indices are compared to comprehend plausible and identify implausible developments. Furthermore the indices for hours worked is crosschecked with the turnover and also the number of persons employed of the same NACE Rev. 2. category;
Validation level 4: The results are compared to other statistical products of Statistics Austria e.g Labour Cost index, Micro Census LFS.
Validation level 5: The results are cross-checked with numbers of employees published by the Main Association of Austrian Social Security. Further comparisons are made with studies from economic research institutes and news releases.

Quarterly data from the Micro Census LFS, which is already linked to enterprises of the BR; employees are taken from social security authorities. In the Micro Census data there are some non-responses, but based on the use of the average values the impact is negligible. So gross data can be calculated for each category of NACE.
The indices measure the hours worked (hours worked per employee, no full time equivalents) for each reference period and each category of NACE as a percentage of the average value of the base year. Weights are updated in 5-year intervals with every base year change.
The method of weighting is the average hours worked for the reference year 2010. Data is converted to GESMES/TS and sent to Eurostat.

Currently results are available from Q1/2010 onwards - no significant working day effects were recognised with X-13-ARIMA. Therefore due to the recommendation of Eurostat the working-day adjusted time series are the same as the unadjusted time series.
Outliers (the largest 1% of the hours worked) are excluded from index calculation.

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