1

The statistical units model and integration Less is more

Wim KloekSession 32

Q2010 Helsinki, 4 to 6 May 2010

2

Less is more

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe TransparentEasy to analyse in partsEasy to extend

3

4

The system of statistical units

Backbone of the system of business statistics

Defines the relations between the parts Defines the breakdowns and aggregations Basis for data collection, for data processing

and for dissemination; embedded in the business register and in data warehouses

5

Data integration

Over statistical domains (generating new output)

Over countries (comparability and adding to EU totals)

Results in: higher efficiency, better quality and more output

6

Requires standards

Statistical units Definitions Classifications

7

Statistical units production process, 1997

Structural business statistics Enterprise

Short term indicators KAU

Labour cost statistics Local Unit

Structural labour statistics Local Unit

Supply and use tables LKAU

Symmetric input/output tables UHP

8

Current situation

More stovepipe regulations Incomplete implementation of the statistical

units regulation Considerable room for national

interpretations (especially on the criterion autonomy)

9

Proposed solution

Reduce the number of statistical units Stick to the actors approach Clarify the operational definitions

10

Reduce the number of statistical units

Directly improves the potential integration over statistical domains

Simplifies the explanation of remaining differences

Harmonises national business registers and data warehouses

Courageous proposal: three units

11

Actors approach

Meaningful analysis of macro data in meso and micro data

What is the actor depends on the variable concerned

Reduce to the core economic variables (describing the production process and describing financial processes)

The actor in the production of value added (‘the enterprise’) should be used in other domains

12

Clarify the operational definitions

The actual delineation of statistical units involves an integrated decision on several relations at the same time:

What is the actor for financial processes? What the actor(s) for production processes? What is the link to legal units? What is the link to locations?

Autonomy: operational criteria

Link to legal units:different over countries

13

The local unit

Not an actor, but a location Useful for the description of the local labour

market or the local service level Lower threshold difficult to define, both in

theory and in practice The find a location for all economic activities

becomes more dubious

14

The EuroGroups Register (EGR)

Common register of large multinational enterprises provide a shared and coordinated basis for the production of statistics: process integration

Efficient (one time profiling) Improved comparability: same units and

classifications Further harmonisation of national profiling

15

16

Less is more

Transparent: easy to communicateEasy to analyse in partsEasy to extend