France. Table of Contents

Transcription

1 1 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY France On the following pages, you will find information about this country's statistical system and its various national data sources. You can also consult the national statistical institute at their website Table of Contents 1. Statistical System Institution Legal basis National classifications Statistical Units Business Register Explanation of the main sources of data National Data Sources General infomation Population coverage Information collected on each unit Primary data collection method Production of results Quality Dissemination...17

2 2 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY 1. Statistical System 1.1. Institution Name of the institution responsible The institutions that make up the French system of official statistics are the Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques, INSEE (the national Institute for Economic Studies and Statistics) and the statistical departments of the main ministries Responsibilities for structural business statistics Person responsible for structural business statistics Mr. Emmanuel Raulin INSEE Timbre E401 18, Bd. Adolphe Pinard F Paris Cedex 14 Tel.: (+33) Fax: (+33) emmanuel.raulin@insee.fr 1.2. Legal basis Current legal basis General statistical law The legal basis for public statistical surveys is the (amended) Law of 7 June 1951 on statistical obligation, co-ordination and confidentiality. Each year the programme of statistical surveys by the public authorities is laid down in a decree signed by the Minister for the economy, adopted after the opinion of the CNIS (Conseil National de l'information Statistique - National Council for Statistical Information) has been received, and published in the Official Journal which is the national publication used for disseminating legal texts in France. Right to collect data in general General obligation of enterprises to reply This is covered by the Law of 7 June Obligation to safeguard confidential data This is covered by the Law of 7 June 1951.

3 3 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Right of access to administrative data The Law of 17 July 1978 provides for any non-sensitive administrative document not liable to reveal the identity of a natural person to be made accessible to any French citizen. By virtue of Article 7(2) of the Law of 7 June 1951, INSEE may conclude agreements with any government department or agency in order to gain access to administrative data held by it. If these data concern natural persons, authorisation is needed from the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'informatique et des Libertés - National Committee for information technology and Civil Liberties) Changes to legislation planned 1.3. National classifications Activity classifications Name of classification NAF and NES. The French general economic classification NES is the official basis for the regrouping of the NAF classes into 16, 36 and 114 headings to be used in France. Date of creation NAF was created by a Decree of 2 October 1992, revised in Date of introduction for structural business statistics Compatibility with NACE Rev. 1, existence of a 5th or 6th digit NAF comprises approximately 700 heading and is compatible with NACE Rev. 1. Extra detail is added to the 4th digit level by the use of alphabetic codes. Unit responsible for classifying activities Variable used for identifying principal and secondary activities The coding of the principal activity of the enterprise is based on the breakdown of the turnover collected in the annual enterprise surveys. For enterprises which are not surveyed, the value is a declared one. For distributive trades, turnover is broken down into income from manufacturing activities and other income, the latter divided by a factor of 3 or 9 in order to classify the enterprise in one of four groups: NAF 01 to 45, NAF 50, NAF 51 and 52, NAF 55 and upwards. Commercial intermediaries (NAF 51.1) are classified by type of enterprise. Wholesalers (51.2 to 51.7) are classified by turnover. Retailers are classified by the share of turnover per type of sales other than in shops or in specialised or

4 4 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY non-specialised shops, with food predominating or otherwise (if non-specialised). In the latter case, the floor area of the shop is also taken into account. For other service enterprises, the principal activity is determined solely on the basis of turnover. Method used for identifying activities The principal activity of an enterprise (APE code) is primarily determined by the "weighted" turnover, permitting classification at a very general level (industry, trade, service). Then, still on the basis of turnover, the principal activity is determined at the 4-digit level, except for industry, where the number of paid employees is the primary criteria. Secondary activities are determined in exactly the same way as the principal activity. Stability rules applied Independence of classification of units Existence of time series in the classification Regional classification Classification or list of levels The regional codes are known as ZEAT and REG official geographical code (INSEE), corrigendum no. 1 (83), corrigendum no. 2 (84). The French territory is divided into departments and regions. There are two codes used, ZEAT and REG. Compatibility with NUTS ZEAT and REG correspond to NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 levels Legal forms list There are some 200 legal forms Other classifications Subject of other classifications Size class breakdowns. Classification Two size classifications are used. The first is detailed, the second aggregated. Both are based on the number of employees.

5 5 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Detailed classification Aggregated classification or more or more 1.4. Statistical Units List of existing units Legal unit (enterprise), local unit (establishment) Definitions of each unit The enterprise is defined as "any natural or legal person engaging independently in a self-employed occupation". It is a production unit which has legal existence (except in the case of agricultural enterprises), autonomous accounting and a fiscal identity. The establishment is a local unit (workshop, factory, shop, office, mine, warehouse, etc.) in a geographically separate location, where the activity of the enterprise is pursued. The establishment is not an accounting unit; the data which can be collected from it are therefore limited Summary of use Registered: legal unit (in the sense of an enterprise), local unit. Reporting unit: the legal unit is used for all annual surveys. Observation unit: the legal unit is used as the observation unit for all annual surveys Business Register General information Name of register SIRENE (Information system for registers of enterprises and their local units).

6 6 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Institution responsible for the register INSEE: Directorate for Enterprise Statistics, Register and demography of enterprises and their local units. Person responsible Ms M-F. Bobin INSEE Timbre E boulevard Adolphe Pinard F Paris Tel.: (+33) Fax: (+33) Marie-France.Bobin@insee.fr Purpose of the register Inter-administrative and statistical. The register has been created to provide a procedure for the registration and identification of enterprises and their local units. The register is used as a sampling basis for the annual enterprise surveys (EAE). Data on active units are extracted and transmitted to the annual survey coordination tool OCEAN. It is this tool that selects the samples; it also interfaces with the register to incorporate changes shown up by the survey (change of principal activity, in particular). Legal basis Decree No of 14 March 1973 introduced the national system for the identification of natural and legal persons and their local units using the SIRENE register. The Decree entrusts the management of this register to INSEE. Obligation to register for births and deaths Date of creation and major changes The Decree No of 14 March 1973 established the national system for the identification of natural and legal persons and their local units based on the SIRENE register. The Decree No of 19 July 1996 confirmed the Decree of 1982 creating a system of single declaration in a single place for legal, fiscal, social and statistical purposes. Law of 11 February 1994 created a system of unique identifiers for legal units to be used for relations with the public administration. Date first used for structural business statistics The statistical processing of the register began immediately upon its creation. Limits of legal right of access Government departments or agencies associated with SIRENE have access to the whole of the register. The general public has access to most of the information in the register through commercial dissemination via Minitel, paper listings and electronic media. The following information is available to the public. Data on the local unit: name of the local unit telephone number office or postal address date of creation (month/year) month of registration legal form

7 7 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY head office or not subsidiary status origin number and size class of salary and wage earners principal business activity according to the NAF classification secondary activities for large industrial local units type of principal business activity commercial or non-commercial indications of relations with other units seasonal character or not other activity specific information for certain local units information on updates within the register Data on the enterprise (legal unit): identifiers such as name, trading name, detailed address and location, telephone legal form sex (for a natural person) number and size class of salary and wage earners principal activity according to the NAF classification type of principal business activity some information on secondary activities indicators of mono-activity commercial or non-commercial turnover size class of which for export indicators of mono-regionality information on updates within the register Exceptions concerning common classifications None Population coverage Activities covered All activities are covered. The SIRENE register covers all enterprises and establishments which exercise an activity. Geographical area covered All regions are covered, including the French Overseas Departments and Territories. Its geographical scope covers not only units in metropolitan France and the Overseas Departments, but also foreign firms represented or active in France or having financial links with a French company. Size classes covered --All size classes are covered -- Other inclusions or exclusions The register covers all companies, whatever their legal status and sector of activity, and all public and private organisations. Coverage rate -- The business register is exhaustive (it is both an administrative and a statistical register) --

8 8 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Registered units Two types of unit are listed in SIRENE: enterprises, identified by a "SIREN" number, and establishments, identified by a "SIRET" number Record contents Level of activity classified Principal activity according to the NAF classification at the 4-digit level. Level of geographical location recorded For the establishment, the office and postal addresses are recorded. Method of size registration Size classes are expressed in terms of turnover and employees. Employees are used for local units whilst employees and turnover are used for legal units. Size-classes: employees: 0, 2, 5, 9, 19, 49, 99, 199, 249, 499, 999, 1 999, turnover (million French Francs): 1, 5, 50, 100, 200, 500, Registration or not of legal form The legal form of enterprises is recorded. Registration or not of foreign ownership The foreign ownership of enterprises is not recorded. Registration or not of public ownership This information is recorded. Registration or not of inter unit links Inter-unit links are registered. Establishments are identified by a "SIRET" number and enterprises by a SIREN number. The SIRET number includes the SIREN number of the enterprise to which the establishment is attached. Distinction between market oriented and non-market units current practice using criteria such as legal form, NACE activity, institutional sector. 1 List of economic variables registered None other than the size measures of wage and salary earners and turnover. Other characteristics registered The following information is available to the public. Data on the local unit: name of the local unit telephone number office or postal address date of creation (month/year) 1 The need of aiming at a common approach to the delineation of market oriented enterprises and nonmarket units has been identified. This distinction is relevant for the comparability of data, particularly in view of envisaged pilot studies on NACE sections M, N and O. Therefore NSIs are asked to describe their current practices of making this distinction, i.e. what criteria are used and how they are applied.

9 9 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY month of registration legal form head office or not subsidiary status origin number and size class of salary and wage earners principal business activity according to the NAF classification secondary activities for large industrial local units type of principal business activity commercial or non-commercial indications of relations with other units seasonal character or not other activity specific information for certain local units information on updates within the register Data on the enterprise (legal unit): identifiers such as name, trading name, detailed address and location, telephone legal form sex (for a natural person) number and size class of salary and wage earners principal activity according to the NAF classification type of principal business activity some information on secondary activities indicators of mono-activity commercial or non-commercial turnover size class of which for export indicators of mono-regionality information on updates within the register Register updating List of main sources of information for updating The SIRENE register is updated on the basis of the results of the annual enterprise surveys, the commercial register, the chamber of crafts, the tax authority and the social security agencies. SIRENE keeps a permanent record of enterprises and establishments. Frequency of receipt of updates by the register team The register is continuously updated. Frequency with which the raw data in the administrative sources are updated (if known) -- Continuous updating Dissemination Existence of standard dissemination and possibility of special tabulations -- yes -- Name and type of dissemination used --public lists of enterprises, according to public criteria--

10 10 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Description of standard tables produced Delay within which data is disseminated from the end of a given reference year Changes to the register's legal basis, coverage, contents, updating and dissemination 1.6. Explanation of the main sources of data SBS data are produced using two kinds of sources : - Preliminary data are produced using the annual enterprise surveys; - Final data are produced with tax files completed with the annual enterpise surveys data (tax data are exhaustive, when the annual enterprise surveys use a sample) : the tax files include loss and profit accounts and balance sheets of companies. - - There are several different surveys distinguished by activity coverage: an agri-food industry survey (IAA) covers enterprises engaging principally in the processing of agricultural products and products which are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture; an industrial survey, which comes under the Ministry of Industry; a survey of building, public works and civil and agricultural engineering (BGC), which comes under the Ministry of Equipment; an annual survey on trade, conducted by Insee; an annual survey on services, conducted by Insee; an annual survey on transportation - not all transportation and business activities are covered - conducted by the statistical office of the Ministry of Equipment. Numerous other sources such as VAT returns, social or social security information supply data on turnover, number of employees and wages. The Employment Structure Survey (ESE) is also used in connection with the annual enterprise surveys. Some informations are also provided by specific surveys, about R&D expenditures, environmental protection expenditures, purchases of energy products. Regional data originate primarily from the annual national surveys, in which enterprises supply a breakdown of certain variables by local units. In order to clarify and supplement the data collected by national surveys, a set of regional sources has been constructed. The level of development of these sources varies from region to region.

11 11 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY 2. National Data Sources 2.1. General infomation Practical information Type of source Administrative Data completed with statistical surveys. Name of source SUSE, unified system of business statistics. This source merges tax data with the files of annual enterprise surveys. Institution responsible for the source INSEE Person responsible Dominique FRANCOZ INSEE Timbre E220 18, bd Adolphe Pinard F Paris Cedex 14 Tel: Fax: Legal basis Tax sources: an agreement between INSEE and DGI (tax adminsitration) was concluded (law N of the 23th decembre 1986, modified by the law N of the 16 th december 1992) and allows INSEE to use the tax returns informations. Obligation on units to provide data The tax returns are mandatory. The annual enterprise survey answer is mandatory. Date of first use as a source SUSE: 1970 EAE: from 1966 to 1982 according to the activities

12 12 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Reference year of this report 2004 Register on which the source is based The tax register for SUSE, SIRENE for the surveys Expected changes in legal basis, obligation to respond and register used Use of administrative information Enumeration and description of the administrative data sources used The administrative data sources are exhaustive. For the largest companies, more information is available. Identification of units in the administrative source with those in the business register (linkage). In the administrative source, the units are identified with the Sirene (business register) identifier (its use is mandatory for all administrations in France). Definition of the administrative information respective to the statistical variables used. The individual company accounts that each company has to provide to the tax administration are based on concepts and definitions that are common to the economists (through the document Plan Comptable Général ). Definition of the administrative units respective to the statistical units in the SBS. The administrative unit is the legal unit, which is the statistical unit as well Summary of questionnaires Summary of different national questionnaires used in the survey Tax returns: they could be seen with internet: Expected changes in national questionnaires Insee is preparing a redesigning of the French structural business statistics, to be operationnal around In particular, the questionnaires of the statistical surveys will be lightened compared to the present ones, and the calendar will be changed. (Reference year: Population coverage Activities covered -- The administrative data source covers all businesses that perform a market activity

13 13 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Geographical area covered No regions are supposed to be excluded. Size classes covered The administrative source.covers all size classes. Other inclusions or exclusions Public companies, mutual insurances, offices of HLM (social housings) are excluded. Reporting unit The legal unit is used as the reporting unit in the administrative data source. Observation unit(s) The legal unit. For some big groups, profiling was used within the statistical surveys, and introduced when merging with tax data. Expected changes in the population surveyed (Reference year: Information collected on each unit Summary list of variables The administrative source mainly provides the variables included in the profit and loss account, and in the balance sheet. The surveys provide mainly the variables of the profit and loss account, and informations about employment, restructuring, breakdown of turnover by products, sector specific variables. Specific surveys provide R&D, expenditures, environmental protection expenditure, purchases of energy products Variables from Annex 1 of the SBS Regulation Number of enterprises ( ) The number of enterprises is provided by SIRENE (business register). A specific treatment enables to keep only economic legal units. Number of local units ( ) -- The number of local units is provided by SIRENE. Turnover ( ) -- Turnover is collected in the administrative data source. It is a variable of the company accounting.(suse)

14 14 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Production value ( ) -- It is the net value of production which can be calculated from turnover, change in stocks and capitalised production minus the purchases of goods and services bought for resale in the same condition as received. (SUSE) -- Value added at factor costs ( ) This is calculated from production value (12120) minus intermediate consumption, plus operating subsidies minus duties and taxes. (SUSE).-- Total purchases of goods and services ( ) -- It can be derived from purchases (raw materials, studies, materials, goods for resale) and external services (sub-contracting, renting and leasing, external personnel, others); (SUSE)-- Purchases of goods and services for resale in the same condition as received ( ) This variable is equivalent to one particular heading in the national company accounting plan. (SUSE) Personnel costs ( ) Wages and salaries + taxes on salaries (SUSE) Wages and salaries ( ) Gross investment in tangible goods ( ) The Gross investment in tangible goods is not a variable available directly in the company accounts. It is derived from variables available both in the administrative files (tangible fixed assets) and survey data (acquisition or sales of assets). Number of persons employed ( ) It is the number of employees plus one for each unincorporated firm. (SUSE) Number of employees ( ) Other variables collected but not specified in Annex 1 of the SBS Regulation : number of births of enterprises (source: SIRENE) : number of deaths of enterprises (source: SIRENE) : Gross margins on goods for resale (SUSE) : Gross operating surplus (SUSE) : Payments for agency workers (source: industry survey) : Change in stocks of goods and services (SUSE)

15 15 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Time span covered by data The reference period is the financial year ; however, some variables such as employment are adjusted to the calendar year Expected changes in information collected 2.4. Primary data collection method Media Post questionnaires for the surveys. Administrative files for the tax data Timetable of data collection Questionnaires are sent to enterprises from February to March Sample or census Exhaustive for administrative data, sample for the surveys Criteria for stratification Not relevant for tax data ; region, activity and number of employees for surveys Threshold values and sample percentages Not relevant Response rate Final response rate between 80 and 95% depending on the surveys Actions to speed up or increase the rate of response Frequency of data collection or list of recent reference years Annual Expected changes in data collection methodology

16 16 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY 2.5. Production of results Imputation methods to compensate for non-response The data relating to missing responses are obtained from the previous year's results or comparison with units of the same type and structure (region, size, activity, etc.). Estimates for grossing-up Not relevant. Confrontation with other data sets Other calculations made Criteria for the identification of confidential data Expected changes in production methods 2.6. Quality Calculation procedure of the coefficients of variation Despite the fact that tax data are exhaustive, some units are missing, in the end. Insee computes accuracy indicators by assuming that missing data are randomly distributed within the different categories of enterprises. If : Y α is the value of a variable Y (for example turnover) for unit α X α the value of the same variable, but for a previous period (for example turnover of the previous year) If data of the previous year are used to impute, the estimator of the total is : Tˆ( Y ) = N α = 1 ε Y α α + N α = 1 (1 ε ) X α α N so Tˆ( Y ) = X α + εα ( Y α X α ) α = 1 where ε α is the «indicator of belonging», for unit α, to the «sample» of units for which administrative data are missing. N α = 1 The accuracy of this estimator T ˆ( Y ), calculated as a mean square errorr, is estimated as :

17 17 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY EQM ˆ ( Tˆ( Y )) = ( n N) n + (1 ) s N ( n N n n ) z z where: Z is the variable Zα = Yα X α n is the number of units for which data are available in the fiscal source, among the N units z is the mean calculated with these n units s is calculated with these n units 2 z This was made on categories of enterprises, and then aggregated to obtain total values ; in fact, for large enterprises, the imputation method is more accurate than the one «supposed» in these calculations ; so the accuracy indicators calculated here tend to be a bit overestimated Summary description of quality criteria calculated for national purposes Expected changes in quality evaluation 2.7. Dissemination National dissemination Name and media of national dissemination used Insee résultats. Web data-base Alisse (Insee). Description of standard tables produced Delay within which data is disseminated from the end of a given reference year 18 months. Treatment of confidential data Confidentiality is treated in the computing of statistics in the frame of the SBS regulation. The elementary data are sent to Eurostat with a flag for data confidential at the primary level. The primary secret is calculated by table. The secondary secret is not treated for the SBS statistics. However, we are able to determine secondary secret (and we include it in national publications) ; we use the CIFE software for this purpose. Expected changes in national dissemination methods

18 18 STRUCTURAL BUSINESS STATISTICS METHODOLOGY Transmission to Eurostat and other organisations Data are submitted on computer tapes in the case of series with numerous variables, otherwise by listing.