Austria (1)

Title of the survey

Industriestatistik (Industrial Production Statistics)

Organization responsible

Austrian Central Statistical Office (ÖSTAT)

Periodicity of the survey

Monthly.

Objectives of the survey

The survey data are used especially for input/output statistics (kind, quantity and value of produced goods, turnover of repairs, assembly maintenance and receipts of goods sold as well as employment data).

Main labour topics covered by the survey

Employment, earnings, hours of work and output.

Reference period

For employment: the last day of each month. For earnings and hours of work: the calendar month.

Coverage of the survey

Geographical

The whole country.

Industrial

Mining and quarrying, and manufacturing. This corresponds respectively to tabulation categories C and D of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC), Rev. 3, 1990.

Establishments

All establishments of all types and sizes which are members of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce, Section Industrie, as well as agricultural dairies and sawmills, water supply plants, non-industrial heat supply establishments (since 1992) and alternative fuel producers (since 1992) which are not members of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce but carry out similar activities.

Persons

Employees including home workers and employees from temporary work agencies, provided they are paid through the payroll. Excluded are working proprietors and directors, unpaid family workers, young workers below the age of 16 and workers sub-contracted from other companies.

Occupations

Not relevant.

Concepts and definitions

Employment

Employees include include wage earners (blue collar workers), salaried employees (white collar workers), trainees, workers on probation, piece workers, commission agents, casual, temporary and seasonal workers, part-time workers, persons temporarily present on payroll during notice period preceding retirement, resignation or dismissal as well as persons temporarily absent from work because of paid vacation or holiday, temporary or indefinite lay off, industrial dispute, sickness or accident, etc. The following categories of employees are separately identified:

wage earners: skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers according to their related collective labour agreements, who are insured with the Workers Pension Insurance Association (including apprentices who are being trained as skilled workers);
salaried employees: gainfully employed persons who are insured with the Employees Pension Insurance Association (including apprentices being trained as officials);
home workers: persons who are regularly employed by a certain workplace and receive a piece rate for work performed in their own home, and whose wages are part of the total payroll.

Employees who are temporarily absent because of unpaid leave, holiday or military service are excluded.

Earnings

Data refer to gross monthly earnings. They comprise pay for normal time worked, premium pay for overtime, shift, night or holiday work, incentive pay, other regular bonuses and cost-of-living allowance. They also include remuneration for time not worked such as annual leave, vacation, public holidays, other time off with pay and bonuses and gratuities paid irregularly, as well as earnings in kind. Data on earnings exclude family allowances, house rent and transport allowances, any form of severance pay and employers' contributions in respect of employees paid to social security.

Wage/salary rates

Not relevant.

Hours of work

Data are collected on hours paid for and hours actually worked per month for wage earners only, excluding home workers. Hours actually worked result from (a) hours paid for, minus (b) hours paid for but not worked, for vacation, holidays, sickness and any special days not worked but paid. Only those enterprises which are members of the Section Industrie of the Chamber of Commerce are asked to report on hours not worked. Hours actually worked include normal hours of work; overtime; time spent at the place of work such as for the preparation of workplace, repairs, maintenance, preparation and cleaning of tools, preparation of receipts, time sheets and reports; time spent at the place of work waiting or standing by for such reasons as lack of supply of work, breakdown of machinery or accident, or time spent at the place of work during which no work is done but for which payment is made under a guaranteed employment contract; and time corresponding to short rest periods at the workplace, including tea or coffee breaks. Meal breaks are excluded.

International recommendations

The definition of earnings complies with the international recommendations. However, certain allowances such as house rent or transport allowances and family allowances are excluded from the data collected. The concept of hours actually worked used in the survey conforms to international recommendations.

Classifications

Industrial

The survey data are classified according to the Austrian Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities at the four-digit level. This classification is linked to the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC), Rev. 2, 1968.

Occupational

Not relevant.

Others

The survey data are classified by employee category and employment size of establishments (1-4; 5-9; 10-19; 20-49; 50-99; 100-499; 500-999; 1000 and more). In addition, employment data are classified by sex.

Sample size and design

Statistical unit

The sampling and reporting unit is the establishment.

Survey universe / sample frame

It consists of the list of establishments based on the results of the Annual Industrial Census. The universe comprises some 8,800 establishments.

Sample design

The survey is based on a complete enumeration of establishments that are members of the Section Industrie, as well as water supply plants, non-industrial heat supply and alternative fuel supply establishments. Dairies, agricultural and industrial sawmills are surveyed by sampling.

Field work

Data collection

Questionnaires are sent by mail in the last week of each reference month. The completed forms should be returned by the 10th of the following month. A permanent organization is responsible for the collection, evaluation and presentation of data.

Survey questionnaire

It consists of three parts and is designed to collect information on:

output;
consumption of energy and fuel;
employment, hours of work, wages and salaries.

(A supplementary part related to exports is to be completed by appropriate establishments.)

Substitution of sampling units

Not relevant.

Data processing and editing

The questionnaires are first coded manually, then data are verified manually and by computer. Check-lists for errors and omissions are used to revise the questionnaires. In the case of missing or inconsistent data, respondents are contacted by mail or telephone.

Types of estimates

Totals of employment; monthly total and average earnings, hours actually worked and hours paid for. In employment statistics, each part-time worker is counted as one worker. In earnings statistics, they are dealt with proportionally to their earnings and hours of work.

Construction of indices

Indices of industrial production, employment, gross wages and salaries and hours of work are constructed (base year 1990=100).

Weighting of sample results

Not relevant.

Adjustments

Non-response

There is no explicit treatment of non-response; missing data are dealt with by imputation

Other bias

The production index is adjusted on the basis of working days.

Use of benchmark data

Not relevant.

Seasonal variations

No adjustments are made for seasonal variations.

Indicators of reliability of the estimates

Coverage of the sampling frame

Total coverage is aimed at.

Sampling error / sampling variance

Not relevant.

Non-response rate

Not available. The survey is conducted under Federal Law BGBi No. 91/1965 on statistics which makes it compulsory for enterprises to complete and return the questionnaires.

Non-sampling errors

Not available.

Conformity with other sources

The survey figures are checked against labour market data from employment offices or the Ministry of Social Affairs, annual censuses and data from employers' organizations.

Available series

Published tables in manufacturing mainly include: number of establishments and persons employed by employment size; average monthly earnings per wage earner and salaried employee; average hours paid for and hours actually worked per wage earner.

History of the survey

The Industrial Production Statistics Survey was introduced in 1970.

Documentation

Österreichisches Statistisches Zentralamt: Statistische Nachrichten (monthly; Vienna). idem: Industrie- und Gewerbestatistik 1.Teil, Beitrage zur Österreichischen Statistik (annual; ibid). idem: Statistisches Jahrbuch für die Republik Österreich (annual; ibid); this publication contains methodological information. Bundeskammer der gewerblichen Wirtschaft: Monatliche Beschaeftigtenstatistik für die Industrie (monthly; ibid). Österreichisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: Monatsberichte (Statistische Ubersichten) (monthly; ibid).

Confidentiality / Reliability criteria

The data provided by the enterprises are used for statistical purposes only. In addition, cells are deemed to be confidential if less than four enterprises contribute towards them.

Other information

Data supplied to the ILO for publication

The following data are published in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics for manufacturing, including mining and quarrying:

Average hours actually worked and paid for per month, for wage earners, in Table 12A;
Average hours actually worked per month, for wage earners, by industry group in Table 12B;
Average monthly earnings of employees and wage earners in Table 17A;
Average monthly earnings of wage earners, by industry group, in Table 17B.

The statistics of hours actually worked refer only to those establishments which are members of the Section Industrie of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, as well as water supply plants, non-industrial heat supply and alternative fuel supply establishments. Data on hours paid for refer to all establishments covered by the survey. Monthly series on paid employment, hours actually worked per month (wage earners) and monthly earnings in manufacturing are published in the relevant tables of the Bulletin of Labour Statistics.