Construction, structural business statistics, 2008

Preliminary figures only on national level. Final figures also on county level for some of the main variables. Other variables at the county level may be ordered.

Annual. Preliminary figures are presented 10 months after the end of the reference period, final figures within 16 months after the end of the reference period.

The statistics are reported to EUROSTAT.

Primary data and the compiled statistics are stored temporarily in the programming language SAS, and stored permanently as text-files.

The structural business statistics for construction are a part of the industrial statistics of Statistics Norway, and present detailed information about the activities in this sector on the basis of financial information.

The statistics are compiled in accordance with the EU regulation on structural business statistics, and were first published in 1966. Since 1995 final results have been published on both the enterprise level and the local kind-of-activity unit (local KAU) level. Preliminary figures for turnover and employment on the enterprise level were published for the first time for 2001. From 2002 it is also published preliminary figures for production value, total purchase of goods and services, wages and salaries and investments, in accordance with the EU regulation.

The annual structural statistics are based on the data needs of the National Accounts (NR) and in accordance with the EU regulation on structural statistics. In addition, ministries and various trade organizations want and need statistical data. Business and industry and other users also commission customized construction statistics from Statistics Norway.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given inthe Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway's key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally 

The structural statistics on construction activities are a part of Statistics Norway industrial statistics covering most industries. Short-term statistics are published for certain industries in addition to the structural statistics. These show figures for shorter periods than one year and usually for the entire country as a whole.

A quarterly production index and order statistics, monthly, quarterly and annual building statistics and periodic sales statistics are also published for construction activities. Construction and housing - theme page .

Accounts statistics are also published for construction activities. There are some systematic differences between the structural statistics and accounting statistics. The accounting statistics include only limited companies, while the structural statistics also include other organizational types. As a consequence, the amounts in the structural statistics will normally be higher than in the accounting statistics. The accounting statistics are only compiled at enterprise level, while the structural statistics are also compiled at the local KAU level. The results of regionalization derived from enterprises will differ from the results of regionalization derived from local KAU units. Comparisons between the structural statistics and the accounting statistics should therefor be made with reservation.

The employment figures in the structural business statistics are not directly comparable with the registerbased employment statistics . The structural business statistics shows for example an average of number of employees through the year, while the registerbased employment statistics shows the number of employees in the 4. quarter. Furthermore the structural business statistics does not include enterprises within the public service sectors 110, 510 and 550.

The Statistics Act, Sections 2-2, 2-3 and 3-2

EU Council regulation No 58/97 December 20, 1996.

The structural statistics for construction are organized according to the NACE-standard (see section 4.2) and include the following industry division:

41 Construction of buildings

42 Civil engineering

43 Specialised construction activities

The structural business statistics comprise most of the enterprises that are registered in the abovementioned industry division, as long as the enterprise was registered with activity in Norway in the relevant statistical year.

The exception is enterprises within the public service sectors 110, 510 and 550. Such units are not included in the structural business statistics for construction even though they should happen to have operations in the abovementioned industry.

However, all other enterprises in the public sector or owned by the public sector, i.e. units with sector codes 610, 630, 635, 660 and 680, are included in the statistics if they have activity in the abovementioned industry.

The statistics do not include Army construction activities for own account. Moreover, the statistics do not include proprietary building and construction activities performed for own account by enterprises that belong to other industry divisions, e.g. construction activities performed by employees of industrial companies. The only exception to this rule applies to a few electric power plants where power development activities have been organized into local KAUs spun off from power supply activities.

Production of prefabricated houses and building materials, the construction and repair of oil platforms and modules (except for the production of concrete platforms etc.) is according to the Standard Industrial Classification classified as manufacturing (industry class 20.30 and industry subclass 35.114). Statistics for these are found in the publication NOS Manufacturing Statistics.

In some cases projects are involving subcontractors, and often both the main contractor and subcontractor are classified in the construction industry. In these cases figures from both the main contractor and subcontractor are included in the statistics.

For a sample of the enterprises in the population, including all enterprises with more than one local kind-of-activity unit (local KAU) , the statistics are based on Trading Statements (NO) and a supplementary questionnaire. The Trading Statements are either attached to the questionnaires or submitted electronically via the Norwegian Internal Revenue Service.

Information, like the accounts and turnover, about the enterprises with only one local KAU outside the sample is obtained from the following sources:

• trading statements (NO) electronically submitted via the Norwegian Internal Revenue Service
• the Register of Annual Company Reports in Brønnøysund
• the VAT Register

From the statistical year 2015 the number of employees is collected via  A-ordningen, where employers are obligated to submit monthly reports for everyone who receives wages and salaries. Previously, these figures were collected through the register of Employers and Employees. These two sources are not directly comparable.

The Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises is used to obtain necessary information about the population. The VAT Register, the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities, information from trade organizations and direct input from the enterprises are used to update the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises.

The population consists of all enterprises in the relevant industry divisions with registered activity in the reference year. The population is divided into subpopulations, called strata, after criteria like industrial classification and number of employees. In some of the strata, all enterprises are always included in the sample. From the remaining strata, a representative selection of enterprises is drawn. All enterprises in this sample are asked to report a full set of Trading Statements and to complete a questionnaire.

This detailed survey of accounting data is combined with the additional information from the various registers and the structural survey of Statistics Norway to form the basis for the estimation of the financial structures of the different industries and the sector as a whole.

A complete set of statements (NO with supplementary forms) is obtained from a sample of enterprises. The supplementary forms is collected by postal questionnaires, and it is possible to report data on the Internet. The questionnaires are sent out in April/May after the end of the statistical year, with a response deadline of four or five weeks. The enterprises that do not respond on the first letter will be given reminders in writing for about a further six months from the first deadline. Failure to respond is subject to fines.

For the other enterprises, sales figures and other essential accounting data were obtained from Trading Statements (NO) submitted electronically via the Norwegian Internal Revenue Service or from annual accounts in the Register of Annual Company Reports in Brønnøysund. Sales figures were furthermore obtained from enterprises in the "VAT Register".

In this way we collect data from all enterprises in the population.

Checks and corrections of the General Trading Statements (NO) for the enterprises included in the sample were undertaken, including the form in which additional information is given per local KAU. The particularly critical control items are industry code, employment, turnover, compensation of employees, other operating expenses and operating profit/loss as well as various breakdowns of turnover and own investment projects by region and type of project. The gross investment figures are also checked and revised.

The whole population are checked against reports for last year, the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises, the Register of Annual Company Reports in Brønnøysund and other available sources, and by contacting the respondent if necessary.

The preliminary figures are not as thoroughly revised as the final figures.

For the enterprises where a complete NO with supplementary form exists, no variables are estimated. For these enterprises the information in the forms are used.

For enterprises outside the sample that submit Trading Statements electronically, only data for the supplementary forms was estimated. Afterwards we used the existing data from the annual accounts according to the Register of Annual Company Accounts and split them up into respective subitems according to the relative shares shown in the data from the NO sample. We subsequently took data according to the Structural Survey and from the "VAT Register" into account in the statistical calculation.

The other items are estimated according to the division in the sample (organized by subclass and same size groups with respect to turnover, operating expenditure or other relevant distribution keys).

Enterprises with sales according to the VAT Register or Structural Survey The NO items are estimated with sales as a key for the enterprises outside the sample where sales are obtained from the "VAT Register".

Employment figures Employment figures for the enterprises are mainly obtained from the Register of Employees and Employers (the Aa-Register), but some are estimated on the basis of the enterprises’ wage costs or turnover. The Employment figures are revised, based on information from other sources, before dissemination.

Not relevant

If less than three enterprises/Local KAUs represents a statistical variable, the numbers are not published. The reason is the risk that the units can be identified. This is especially critical when regional data are published.

Preliminary figures for turnover and employment on the enterprise level are published for the first time for 2001. Preliminary figures are published while data are still under revision, and may therefore deviate from the final figures that are published within 16 months of the end of the reference year. Preliminary data for the enterprises in the sample that has not yet responded at the time of publishing are estimated by using other sources.

Generally, when making comparisons with previously published figures it must be kept in mind that older data may have been corrected during later revisions. Updating of industries in the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises may also have caused revisions for some of the industries. These changes have not been dated back.

From 2003 the state road construction activity was sorted out as a state-owned enterprise called Mesta AS. Mesta AS is included in the figures from 2003.

From the statistical year 2015 the number of employees is collected via A-ordningen, Previously, these figures were collected through the register of Employers and Employees. These two sources are not directly comparable.

Preliminary figures are published while data are still under revision, and may therefore deviate from the final figures that are published within 18 months of the end of the reference year. Preliminary data for the enterprises in the sample that has not yet responded at the time of publishing are estimated by using other Sources.