Content
About the statistics
Definitions
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Name and topic
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Name: Structural business statistics for water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
Topic: Nature and the environment
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Responsible division
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Division for Structural Business Statistics
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Definitions of the main concepts and variables
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Local kind-of-activity unit (local KAU)
A local KAU is defined as a locally delimited functional unit that mainly carries out activities that fall within a specific industry category.
Enterprise
An enterprise is the smallest combination of legal entities that produces goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision making.
Owners
Owners include owners of sole proprietorships, or general partnerships, and family members who work for the enterprise on a daily basis without receiving regular wages. Co-owners of limited companies and cooperatives who are paid for working for the enterprise are not included, nor are family members of owners of sole proprietorships or general partnerships when they receive regular wages.
Employees
The Structural Business Statistics are from 2015 based on a new data basis for wage earners. The main source in the period to 2014 was NAV Employee Register (State Register). In 2015 the reporting to this registry coordinated with the reporting of payroll and personnel data to the Tax Administration Authority and Statistics Norway. The common reporting system is called “A-ordning”. “A-ordning” generally provides data with higher quality and accuracy at the individual level, and it covers more wage earner conditions than the State Register. In the State Register, employees who work less than four hours per week on average were not included.
The number of employees in the structural statistics shows an average of the number that has been employed throughout the year.
Employment
Employment refers to the sum of owners and employees. Unlike the register-based employment statistics, where persons are only counted in their main job, here a person may have more than one job. The register-based employment statistics are based on the number of persons employed, while the structural statistics provide information on the companies and enterprises included in the population. Therefore, the employment figures will not be directly comparable with figures in other employment statistics. The employment figures in the structural statistics show an average of the number throughout the year.
Hired labour from employment agencies is not included in the employment figures.
Turnover/sales
Turnover is defined as the enterprise's operating revenue, less government grants, special public duties related to the sale, and gains on the sale of fixed assets. Taxes and duties are included but VAT is not included.Standard
industry
formSales revenue and withdrawal, taxable p3000 + Sales revenue and withdrawal, non-taxable p3100 + Sales revenue and withdrawal, outside tax area p3200 + Deferred income p3500 + Rental inome, property p3600 + Other rental income p3695 + Commission income p3700 + Other operations-related revenue p3900 = Turnover Total value of goods or services purchased
Total value of goods or services purchased includes the value of all goods and services purchased during the reference year either for resale, for use in the production process of the enterprise, or as inventory. Acquisitions of fixed assets are not included.Total acquisitions of tangible fixed assets
Acquisitions of fixed capital such as buildings and plant (excluding residential property), machinery, tools, implements, fixtures and fittings and means of transport (excluding private use) – both new and used, are defined as total acquisitions of tangible fixed assets.
Wages
Wages includes earned compensation for all employees, including home workers, before the deduction of tax, insurance premiums, pension premiums etc. (including overtime payments). Commission to sellers employed by the enterprises and the value of payments in kind, employer’s national insurance contributions, holiday pay, sick pay, pay during military service and other absences, bonuses and gratuities are all included.
Wages correspond to item 5000 in the Standard Industry Form.Compensation of employees includes wages and salaries, national insurance premium, pension payments and other staff expenses. Compensation of employees does not include payment to owners of sole proprietorships or general partnership, or payment to family members without fixed wages.
Standard
industry
formWages and salaries p5000 + National insurance premium p5400 + Pension payments p5420 + Other staff expenses p5900 = Compensation of employees Production value
Production value is turnover corrected for changes in stocks of finished goods, work in progress, and goods and services purchased for resale.Standard
industry
formTurnover + Changes in stock of goods in producion and finished goods p4295 + Commodity cost for sold merchandise = Production value Cost of goods and services consumed is the value of goods and services consumed as input in the production process, excluding fixed assets (consumption is recorded as consumption of fixed capital).
Value added at market prices is the sum of production value minus the cost of goods and services consumed.
Value added at factor prices is the sum of value added at market prices plus subsidies and minus taxes (except VAT).
Gross operating surplus is the sum of value added (at factor prices) minus compensation of employees.
Gross investment is defined as acquisition of fixed assets as buildings and constructions, machines, tools, furniture and fixtures, and cars and other means of transportation (except for private use) - both new and used. Improvements are added whereas sales of used capital stock are deducted. Gross investments are stated with deductions for input VAT.
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Standard classifications
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The Standard Industrial Classification used in Statistics Norway (SIC2007) is based on the EU standard NACE Rev. 2 and UN standard ISIC Rev 4.
Administrative information
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Regional level
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Preliminary figures are published on national level.
Final figures are published on national level. Figures on the number on local KAU/establishments and persons employed can be found on minicipality level in the StatBank.
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Frequency and timeliness
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Annual
Preliminary figures are published 10 months after the end of the reference year.
Final figures are published within 18 months after the end of the reference year.
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International reporting
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The statistics are reported to Eurostat
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Microdata
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Microdata and information on sample units and population are stored temporarily in the programming language SAS, and permanently as text files.
Background
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Background and purpose
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The structural statistics for water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities are part of the statistics on industry, and provide detailed information on the activity in the sector based on accounting data and questionnaires.
Previously, only structural statistics for sewerage, waste management and remediation activities were published. These were published for the first time in 1995, and finally for the reference year 2007. As from 2008, water supply and materials recovery have also been included.
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Users and applications
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The annual structural business statistics are based on the data needs of the National Accounts (NR) and are in accordance with the EU regulation on structural business statistics. In addition, ministries, various trade organisations and industry are among those requesting statistical data.
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Equal treatment of users
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No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 08 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.
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Coherence with other statistics
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The structural statistics on water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities are a part of Statistics Norway's industrial statistics covering most industries. Short-term turnover statistics are also published in addition to the structural statistics.
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Legal authority
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Statistical Act §§2-2, 2-3 and 3-2.
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EEA reference
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Regulation 295/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning structural business statistics amended by Regulation 251/2009, 517/2013 and 446/2014. In addition, Norway undertakes, through the EEA agreement, to adhere to EU Council regulation (EF) no. 1893/2006 of 20 December 2006 on NACE Rev. 2.
Production
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Population
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The structural statistics for water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities are classified according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC2007); a nomenclature for the classification of companies and enterprises in different industries.
These statistics cover the following divisions:- 36 - Water collection, treatment and supply
- 37 - Sewerage
- 38 - Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities, materials recovery
- 39 - Remediation activities and other waste management services
Enterprises within these industries are included in the statistics if they are registered with activity in Norway in the relevant reference year.
The exception is enterprises within the public administration, social security administration, county authorities and local authorities. Such units are not included in the structural business statistics even though they may have operations in the aforementioned industries. These units operate at the non-profit principle.
These enterprises must not be confused with enterprises within the central government's business operations, government-owned enterprises, state enterprises, municipal businesses and independent municipal enterprises, which are included in the statistics. These units operate in a free market for profit.
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Data sources and sampling
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For a sample of the enterprises in the population, the statistics are based on Standard Industry Form (NO) and a supplementary questionnaire. The Standard Industry forms are either attached to the questionnaires or submitted electronically via the Tax Inspectorate. Information about the units that are not included in the sample is taken from the following sources:
- Electronically delivered Standard Industry forms to the Tax Directorate
- The Register of Company Accounts at Brønnøysund
- The VAT Register
- The Register of Employees and Employers
The Register of Establishments and Enterprises at Statistics Norway is used to obtain necessary information about the population. The VAT Register, the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities, information from trade organisations and direct input from the enterprises are used to update the 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, according to criteria such as industrial classification and number of employees. In some of the strata, all enterprises are included in the sample. A representative selection of enterprises is drawn from the remaining strata. All enterprises in this sample are asked to report a full set of the Standard Industry Forms 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 a basis for estimating the financial structures of the different industries.
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Collection of data, editing and estimations
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A complete set of statements (NO with supplementary forms) is obtained from a sample of enterprises.
The supplementary forms are collected electronic via the Internet. The questionnaires are sent out in about 6 months after the end of the reference year, with a response deadline of four to five weeks. Enterprises failing to respond to the initial inquiry are sent written follow-up letters for up to six months from the first deadline. Enterprises that do not respond are fined.
For the other enterprises, turnover figures and other essential accounting data are obtained from the Standard Industry Forms (NO) submitted electronically via the Tax Directorate or from annual accounts in the Register of Company Reports in Brønnøysund. Turnover figures are also obtained from enterprises in the VAT Register.
In this way we obtain information on all enterprises in the population.
Checks and corrections of the Standard Industry Forms (NO) and supplementary forms for the enterprises included in the sample are undertaken. The data material is edited according to checks against previous years, preliminary figures, the Register of Establishments and Enterprises, the Register of Company Accounts at Brønnøysund, other available sources and in consultation with the respondent where necessary.
When the preliminary figures are published, the data will not be as thoroughly edited as they will be by the time the final figures are published.For the enterprises where a complete NO with supplementary form exists, no variables are estimated. The information in the forms is used for these enterprises.
For enterprises with a complete NO but no supplementary form, only the information in the forms is estimated.
Turnover and employment are considered as known variables for all enterprises and are therefore used as a basis for computing missing variables. Previously an industry mean based on sample units was used to estimate missing data for non-sample units (ratio estimates). As of the statistical year 2011 the method is based on finding a sample unit similar to the non-sample unit to be estimated, based on a set of criteria, and using the sample-unit to estimate the missing values (nearest neighbour estimation). The nearest neighbour criterion is industry combined with the turnover/employment ratio, in that order.
Limited companies outside the sample
For limited companies not included in the sample, defined accounting data is taken from the Register of Company Accounts for limited companies. A number of items in the Register of Company Accounts are identical to the data in NO and can therefore be extracted directly.The remaining items are estimated according to the division in the sample (organised by industry subclass and same size groups with respect to turnover, operating expenditure or other relevant distribution keys).
Enterprises with sales according to the VAT Register
The NO items and items in the supplementary form are estimated with turnover as a distribution key for enterprises outside the sample where turnover is obtained from the VAT Register.Employment figures
The Structural Business Statistics are from 2015 based on a new data basis for wage earners. The main source in the period to 2014 was NAV Employee Register (State Register). In 2015 the reporting to this registry coordinated with the reporting of payroll and personnel data to the Tax Administration Authority and Statistics Norway. The common reporting system is called “A-ordning”. “A-ordning” generally provides data with higher quality and accuracy at the individual level, and it covers more wage earner conditions than the State Register. In the State Register, employees who work less than four hours per week on average were not included.
Employment figures for the enterprises are either obtained from the "A-ordning" or estimated on the basis of the enterprises' wage costs or turnover. The employment figures are edited, based on information from other sources, manually or by machine before being published.
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Seasonal adjustment
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Not relevant
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Confidentiality
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If less than three units are represented in the content in a table cell, the figures are not published. The reason is the risk that the units can be identified. This also apply for groups if the biggest unit have more than 90% of the value - or the sum of the two biggest units is over 95% in the group. This is resolved by suppressing these figures in the table.
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Comparability over time and space
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Preliminary figures are published while data are still under editing, 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 have not yet responded at the time of publishing are estimated by using other sources.
When making comparisons with previously published figures it must be kept in mind that older data may have been corrected during later editing. Updating of industry codes in the Register of Establishments and Enterprises may also have entailed editing for some of the industries. These changes are not back dated. Changes in accounting legislation, classification practice, samples, details of the terms etc. can also be responsible for comparability being limited.
Accuracy and reliability
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Sources of error and uncertainty
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Forms are returned electronically and subsequently checked manually in order to ensure that data is correct to the highest degree possible. The results of a statistical survey can however contain some measurement and processing errors.
Measurement errors occur when the respondent gives erroneous answers due to an oversight, misunderstanding of the question etc. A typical example is figures that are given in whole kroner instead of NOK 1,000. Using known terms and providing guidance that is easily accessible reduces this type of error.
Processing errors are errors from coding or errors that occur during the transfer of information from the questionnaire to the machine-readable medium or during editing.
Non-response will always be a factor in form-based surveys. This is due to units that have closed down, gone bankrupt, merged, formed spin-offs, holidays, errors in dispatch, refusal to comply etc. Non-response can also be due to an oversight, lack of data or other conditions.
Non-response of key units is followed up in the manual post control. Other enterprises that do not return their form are treated in the same way as the enterprises that are not included in the sample. Applying fines reduces the non-response considerably, but not necessarily the uncertainty. For example, the respondent may choose to estimate figures just to avoid being fined.
Sampling errors is the uncertainty that occurs when the figures are produced on the basis of a sample of data, and not the whole population. The sampling error is the expected deviation between the result of the sample and the result if the whole population was examined.
Sampling errors are not relevant to the preliminary figures as they are based on a full count.A number of administrative registers are central to the work entailed in the structural statistics. The Register of Establishments and Enterprises is used both to define the population and help collect the necessary data. This forms the basis for two types of register errors, which can affect the integrity of the statistics.
The most common errors are those that result from a time lag in the registration. Such time lags can be due to late reporting to the registers or the fact that changes are normally registered some time after they have occurred. The consequence is that the registers are not fully up-to-date at all times, which can, among other things, lead to misalignments in the sample or obsolete information being used in the statistics.
Variables such as industry code, condition etc. in the Register of Establishments and Enterprises are also used as a basis when selecting a sample. The quality of these variables will determine the distribution of the population into appropriate strata, and thereby affect the quality of the basis on which the sample is taken from.
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Revision
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Not relevant
The statistics is now published as Business statistics.