Finland (2)

Title of the survey

Survey of farms

Organization responsible

The Confederation of Farm Employers is responsible for collecting and processing the data. The results are published by Statistics Finland.

Periodicity of the survey

Every even quarter.

Objectives of the survey

Main labour topics covered by the survey

Earnings and hours of work.

Reference period

June and November.

Coverage of the survey

Geographical

The whole country.

Industrial

Agriculture, and in particular: growing of corn, farming of cattle and greenhouse keeping.

Establishments

Farms which are members of the Confederation of Farm Employers, i.e. agricultural holdings with employees.

Persons

Agricultural workers.

Occupations

All occupations within the following groups: crop producers, animal producers and market gardeners.

Concepts and definitions

Employment

Not available.

Earnings

The data refer to gross earnings for normal working time plus overtime earnings, in cash and in kind.

Wage/salary rates

Not relevant.

Hours of work

The definition of hours actually worked is, in principle, the same as that used for the surveys of Wages of industrial, building construction and road transport workers.

Classifications

Industrial

The data are classified according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC-88), which is linked to the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC), Rev.2, 1968.

Occupational

Data are classified according to the collective agreement applying to farms. Three main groups of occupations are used: crop producers, animal producers and market gardeners.

Others

By sex and age group.

Sample size and design

Statistical unit

The sampling and reporting unit is the farm. Data are reported with respect to individual employees.

Survey universe / sample frame

This consists of the List of farms which are members of the Confederation of Farm Employers. It covered about 800 farms in 1993.

Sample design

The survey is a complete enumeration of farms which are members of the Confederation.

Field work

Data collection

This takes place in June and November.

Survey questionnaire

Available in Finnish and Swedish only.

Substitution of sampling units

Not relevant.

Data processing and editing

Responses are coded manually or by computer. Inconsistent data are checked by telephone. Both range and consistency checks are made. Missing data are obtained through reminders.

Types of estimates

The estimates mainly consist of earnings totals and averages per hour. Distributions are also calculated.

Construction of indices

Indices of average earnings, without adjustment for structural changes, are calculated, with base 1990=100.

Weighting of sample results

Not relevant.

Adjustments

No adjustments are made.

Indicators of reliability of the estimates

Coverage of the sampling frame

The survey frame covers all farms with employees which are members of the Confederation of Farm Employers.

Sampling error / sampling variance

Not relevant.

Non-response rate

Not available, but very low.

Non-sampling errors

There may be errors in the data supplied by respondents which cannot be detected or corrected using the various computer checks.

Conformity with other sources

No other source of data exists on wages and hours of farm workers.

Available series

History of the survey

The survey began in 1924. A number of minor changes and revisions have been introduced. These are described in the national publications. In 1982, the sample frame was updated and the reference period was changed from a monthly reference period in a quarter to a monthly rotative questionnaire. Prior to 1993, the earnings data of non-organized employers in agriculture and forestry used to be collected by Statistics Finland. Statistics of hourly wages in agriculture were compiled using the material collected by the Federation of Agricultural Employers from its members. Statistics Finland produced the earnings data covering the hourly paid workers of forestry from material from the member companies of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and from non-organized forestry employers. Since 1993, data are collected twice a year, by the Confederation of Farm Employers, only.

Documentation

Tilastokeskus (Statistics Finland): Suomen tilastollinen vuosikirja (Statistical Yearbook of Finland) (Helsinki, annual). idem: Tilastokatsauksia (Bulletin of Statistics) (ibid., monthly). idem: Maa- ja metsätyöntekijöiden (Wages for Farm and Forestry Workers) (ibid.). The survey results are published about three months after the reference quarter. Additional data which do not appear in publications could be made available upon request. Because of the high expense involved, requests would have to be considered on a case by case basis.

Confidentiality / Reliability criteria

The release of data is subject to confidentiality rules whereby neither individual establishments nor individual persons can be identified.

Other information

Data supplied to the ILO for publication

Estimates of average hourly earnings in agriculture and livestock production are published in Table 21 of the Yearbook of Labour Statistics. Data on average earnings and normal hours of work for specified occupations in agriculture are published in Statistics on occupational wages and hours of work and on food prices - October Inquiry results, a special supplement to the Bulletin of Labour Statistics.

Other sources of data

In addition to the surveys described in this volume, surveys of earnings and hours of work in logging and forestry, transport, trade, banks, insurance, hotels and restaurants, the government sector, municipalities and non-profit institutions are also carried out by the Finnish Employers' Confederation, the Confederation of Commerce Employers, Statistics Finland or the Finnish State Treasury.