Index of number of persons employed

Results and their publication

The index of number of persons employed for industries and construction is calculated and published on a monthly basis at the level of divisions, subsections and sections of ÖNACE 2008 B to F and for five main industrial groupings (aggregation of economic sectors that primarily produce intermediate goods, energy, capital goods, consumer durables or non-durables) beginning with reference period 01/1996. In parallel, time series according to the old ÖNACE 2003 were made available till reference period 12/2008. From reference period 01/2009 results are only available according to the new ÖNACE 2008.

Initial preliminary results are published 55 days after the end of the reference period, and revised values are published after 85 days. The exact dates can be found in the publication calendar (available in German only). Current figures are also published monthly in the Statistical Monitoring Reviews (available in German only), in STATcube (available in German only) and on the Eurostat website. The old base year 2010 = 100 will continue to be calculated and published in parallel until December 2017.

Definition

Since base year 2000=100, the index of number of persons employed has been calculated and published for the industry and construction sectors in accordance with the EU-harmonised definition of variables. This definition has been amended by an EU regulation and made binding on the member states (Commission Regulation (EC) No. 588/2001 of 26 March 2001 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No. 1165/98 concerning short term statistics as regards the definition of variables). Whereas the index of number of persons employed comprised only employees (white collar workers, blue collar workers, trainees, home worker and part-time employees) – including agency staff but excluding employees on loan – under the old definition, the EU-harmonised definition comprises self-employed persons and employees, including employees on loan from the survey unit but excluding agency staff. In order to avoid creating gaps in the old index series with the base year 1995=100, the old index of number of persons employed was continued in parallel until the index was rebased using the base year 2000=100. As of the base year 2000=100, only the harmonised definition of variables is used, which also applies to the new base year 2005. For backcalculations of the old index series according to the ÖNACE 2008 persons employed were used from 2000 onwards while the number of employees were used for time series from 1996 to 1999 (base year 1995=100).

In order to analyse and assess current short term indicators, users of short term statistics need not only information on production and trends in producer prices but also facts and figures about the labour market, which is one of the most important input factors in the economic process. Reference is therefore made to labour input indicators, which include the index of number of persons employed, the index of gross wages and salaries, and the index of hours worked. Recording the labour input indicators enables current economic developments (employment and volume of work) to be assessed, annual structural survey data (gross wages and salaries) to be forecast quickly, productivity to be evaluated, and the data to be used in the quarterly National Accounts.

Scope and representativity

The monthly Short Term Statistics Surveys in industries and construction provide the underlying data for the index of number of persons employed since January 1996. Essentially, data from all Short Term Statistics Survey units is incorporated into the index calculation, with the result that the representativity of the indices calculated is predetermined by the scope of the Short Term Statistics Surveys. According to the principle of a concentration survey, the Surveys take account only of those establishments and enterprises in the industries and construction sector (ÖNACE Sections B to F) that have a minimum number of employees on a common survey date of the previous year (applicable to all months of the given year), respectively since reference year 2008 turnover exceed a certain threshold (as long as thresholds for employees did not reach representativity criteria). Since the base 2000 ÖNACE divisions with fluctuating employee numbers, respectively with fluctuating turnover (since reference year 2008), standardised and constant workforce limits for the index calculation and its homogenous progression have been defined in order to ensure stable observation masses. In case also adjustments of the base take place.

Implementation of the ÖNACE 2008

According to the revision of the new statistical classifications of economic activities within the “Operation 2007” and the amendment of the national short term statistic regulation a number of substantial adoptions to the monthly Short Term Statistics in industries and construction took place since the reference year 2008. These adoptions like new demarcation of the scope or taking into account the new thresholds since the reference period 01/2008 lead also to methodological changes for the calculation of the short term indicators. An article on this topic will be published in the “Statistischen Nachrichten” in 2013.

Time series from 1996 to 2004 of base 1995=100 and 2000=100 were reclassified according to the new statistical classifications of economic activities ÖNACE 2008 and rebased to the base 2005=100 for all breakdowns. From reference period January 2005 new calculations were made.

Calculation

The Laspeyres index concept is used for the calculation. To perform the calculation, index numbers are formed according to ÖNACE groups, divisions, sections and subsections as well as use categories by dividing the result for a particular month by the monthly average of the base year (currently 2015=100).

In accordance with the EU regulation concerning short term statistics, the short term indicators specified in the regulation are to be rebased every five years – i.e. in years ending with a 0 or a 5.  
Therefore the indicators were rebased using the new base year 2015=100.

Other methodological explanatory notes (available in German only)

• Statistische Nachrichten 02/2009: Austrian Statistical Classification of Activities-ÖNACE 2008
• Statistische Nachrichten 11/2007: Revision of STS-indicators - new base year 2005=100 (PDF 668KB)
• Statistische Nachrichten 10/2003, p. 776 ff.: Short term indicators in industries and construction: new base year 2000=100 (PDF 663KB)
• Short term indicators 2000=100: production and services
• Short term indicators in industries and construction 1995=100, issue no. 1 315
• Short term statistics in industries and construction 2008 - Volume 1: Results at enterprise and establishment level, and indices