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2.1 Macroeconomic statistics (Eurostat)
Theme 5.01 Statistics for business cycle analysis
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Improvement of the quality and the coverage of Principal European Economic Indicators (PEEIs, COM/2002/661) and enhancement of their visibility.
• Development and implementation of sophisticated statistical and econometric techniques in order to increase timeliness, length, frequency and reliability of PEEIs.
• Development and maintenance of a statistical framework for the assessment of the euro area and Member States cyclical situation.
• Provide advanced methods for data readability and interpretability.
• Preparation, implementation and follow up of guidelines for harmonising PEEI production processes and for the definition of best statistical practices.
• Development of tools for the rationalising the use of statistical and econometric techniques.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Finalise the ESS guidelines on revisions and prepare an implementation plan within the ESS.
• Finalise and disseminate handbooks on best practices on revisions analysis and seasonal adjustment.
• Develop a first set of tools for the rationalisation of the use of statistical and econometric techniques to improve PEEIs coverage and to analyse them.
• Investigate new statistical areas relevant for production improvement and analysis.
• Finalise and follow up the implementation of common policies within the ESS for the compilation of Principal European Economic Indicators in key areas such as seasonal adjustment, estimation and back calculation. The priority will be monitoring the implementation of the already endorsed ESS seasonal adjustment guidelines.
• Improve Euroindicators/PEEIs website: online analysis and comparative tables, Statistics Explained pages, online bibliographies and publications (Newsletter, Selected Readings, State of Affairs, PEEIs Quarterly quality report), including the official monthly publication Eurostatistics.
• Monitor EuroIND and PEEIs quality: regular updating of the Euroindicators real-time database for revision analysis and real-time simulation, monitoring Euro-IND quality (with particular attention to Principal European Economic Indicators), developing new quality measures for time series and database (synthetic quality indicator), dissemination of results.
• Improve structure, coverage and visibility (enhanced visualisation tools) of the selected PEEIs page, also in line with the development of the Principal Global Indicators activities.
• Finalise the testing exercise of nowcasting, back calculation and monthly indicator of the economic activity (Euromind) as well as coincident turning points indicators by means of sophisticated statistical and econometric techniques (whenever possible in collaboration with production units, DG ECFIN and the ECB) and decisions on their dissemination.
• Support Eurostat sectoral units, Commission Directorates General, and Member States in their activity to improve and analyse Principal European Economic Indicators, including training activities and tools development.
• Contribute to international meetings, seminars and conferences aiming to promote the use of statistical and econometric techniques for data production and analysis and to develop and consolidate a early monitoring system for the global economy.
• Follow-up the 6th Eurostat Colloquium on Modern Tools for Business Cycle Analysis.
Theme 2.02 Quarterly accounts
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Quarterly national accounts;
• Quarterly non-financial sector accounts (QSA.)
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Implement NACE Rev 2;
• GDP flash estimates at T+30 days - feasibility study and testing period;
• Implement the revised ESA and the revised ESA transmission programme;
• Compile a QSA flash estimate based on Member States transmissions at t+90 days to be available well ahead of the final publication at t+120 days;
• Extend the content and relevance of statistics derived from quarterly sector accounts;
• Improve quality aspects of quarterly national accounts.
• Ensure complete and timely availability of quarterly national accounts data, ensure production and dissemination of EU/EA quarterly accounts data.
• Quarterly compilation and publication of euro area and EU sector accounts including derived charts, tables, news releases and the publication of key indicators by country.
• Eight news releases published: one for the household sector and one for non-financial corporations every quarter. About 30 charts and tables, covering all sectors of the economy, updated and loaded on ESTAT website. Harmonisation of quarterly non-financial sector accounts data: cross-country comparisons of key variables, documentation of sources and methods and selection of best practices.
• Continue work to improve timeliness and availability of key short-term national accounts indicators for monitoring the statistical consequences of the financial and economic crisis - in particular flash estimates of GDP and employment.
Theme 2.05 Monitoring own resources
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Annual national accounts data of Gross National Income (GNI) and Gross National Product (GNP);
• Verification of the GNI/GNP data transmitted each year by Member States;
• Verification of Member States' inventories of statistical sources and methods used to calculate GNI/GNP;
• Verification, in cooperation with DG Budget, of the figures and calculations included in Member States' VAT statements.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Finalise assessment reports on new EU-15 inventories of sources and methods for compiling GNI;
• Finalise assessment reports on EU-10 inventories of sources and methods for compiling GNI;
• Finalise analysis and assessment reports on EU-2 inventories of sources and methods for compiling GNI;
• Carry out GNI missions in the Member States including direct verification as required;
• Pursue work on the development of guidelines on supervisory and control systems for national accounts in the Member States;
• Verify declarations for VAT-based resources for about 12 countries (chosen by DG BUDG).
Theme 2.08 Trade in services and balance of payments
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Balance of payments (BoP): Methodology, Meetings;
• Quarterly balance of payments;
• Foreign direct investment (FDI);
• International trade in services;
• Balance of payments of the EU institutions;
• Balance of payments and related statistics: Enlargement.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Amendment to BoP Regulation 184/2005, as required for implementing new reference manuals;
• Implementation of the revised BoP Quality Report;
• Survey of Balance Of Payments/Rest Of The World Differences;
• Projects targeted at increasing consistency between BoP and other statistical domains (travel, transport, goods);
• Investigate possibilities for alignment/integration of the data collections goods and services;
• Preparatory work related to the implementation of the new Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) and the new Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment (BD4).
• Collection and validation of data related to Balance of Payments, International Trade in Services, Remittances, Foreign Direct Investment;
• Dissemination of data and maintenance of metadata;
• Treatment of the EU Institutions accounting data for the production of BoP of the EU Institutions;
• Regular dissemination of BoP data of EU institutions (EUI) and maintenance of metadata;
• Pre-filling of the quality reports and assessment of the quality of national BoP data;
• Methodological assistance and guidance to the Member States;
• Guarantee the functioning of the BoP Committee including all necessary comitology procedures;
• Organise Working Groups and Task Force meetings;
• Guarantee smooth functioning of the FDI Network that allows for the exchange of FDI microdata (Joint initiative -Eurostat/ECB DG Statistics);
• Define the new reporting requirements for BoP and FDI, necessary for implementing BPM6 and BD4. Consultations with the Member States and the ECB.
New BoP Quality Report.
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics (IMF)
Principal Global Indicators Website
The IMF is coordinating international efforts to improve the availability of macroeconomic data essential for tracking financial and economic development. In late 2008, the Statistics Department of the IMF created the Inter-Agency Group on Economic and Financial Statistics - involving the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the European Central Bank (ECB), Eurostat, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN), and the World Bank (WB)- to address economic and financial data gaps needed to monitor financial developments. One of the key outcomes of the Inter-Agency Group was the launching of Principal Global Indicators Website (PGI website) in April 2009. The PGI website brings together timely data available at participating international agencies covering financial, governmental, external, and real sector data, with links to data at websites of international and national agencies. The website is available at http://www.principalglobalindicators.org.
In December 2009 the website was revamped to allow presentation of its rich collection of data in a more user-friendly fashion by shifting emphasis to cross-country indicators---currently over forty indicators. Among the new additions include:
• Additional cross-country tables of key indicators with more data transformation in harmonized units of measurement to facilitate comparative analysis;
• Longer runs of historical data via real-time access to the underlying PGI database;
• On-line access to referential metadata which provide information on the data sources, economic concepts, or national practices used in compiling the data; and
• Visual display of key cross-country indicators.
Whilst the PGI website currently focuses on the dissemination of data for the G-20 economies, the intention is to expand it gradually to cover more countries.
Reports on Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs)
The IMF also conducts two - to three-week on-site missions to its member countries to assess the quality of data and assist in their further development. The ROSC data module provides an assessment of data quality in five areas of macroeconomic statistics - national accounts (NA), prices (consumer and producer price indices), government finance, monetary, and balance of payments (BOP)- based on the July 2003 Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF), as well as an assessment of whether the data dissemination practices are in accordance with those specified in the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS).
The assessments are disseminated as data modules of the Reports on Observance of Standards and Codes. As of December 2010, 124 data module ROSCs had been completed, including updates and reassessments. These include - using the IMF's World Economic Outlook country group classification - 27 from advanced economies, 27 from Africa, 9 from developing Asia, 20 from Central and Eastern Europe, 16 from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), 4 from the Middle East, and 21 from Western Hemisphere countries (including one regional central bank). Links to the published modules can be found on the IMF website at http://dsbb.imf.org (go to DQRS).
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics (OECD)
STAN Database for Industrial Analysis
To provide a comprehensive database tool for cross-country analyses of industrial performance (competitiveness, productivity etc.) and structural change at a relatively detailed level of activity.
Objectives and outputs
The STAN database for industrial analysis provides analysts and researchers with a comprehensive tool for analysing industrial performance at a relatively detailed level of activity across countries. It includes annual measures of output, labour input, investment and international trade which allow users to construct a wide range of indicators to focus on areas such as productivity growth, competitiveness and general structural change. The industry list provides sufficient detail to enable users to highlight high-technology sectors and is compatible with those used in related OECD databases.
Database for Industrial Analysis (STAN)
OECD STAN Database
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Inclusion of additional countries in STAN (e.g. ). Preparations for implementation of ISIC Rev. 4. Comprehensive STAN documentation in form of STI Working Paper.
Business Tendency and Consumer Opinion Surveys
To collect and disseminate business tendency and consumer opinion survey data for OECD member countries and selected non-member economies. To promote wider use of business tendency and consumer opinion surveys in OECD member countries and selected non-member economies.
To develop international statistical standards and to encourage scientific research in this field of statistics.
Objectives and outputs
This activity involves the ongoing collection and publication of an extensive range of business tendency and consumer opinion survey data and related metadata from OECD member countries and the BRIICS.
The survey data are published in the OECD's monthly Main Economic Indicators (MEI). Data collection is co-ordinated with the European Commission, with the OECD taking primary responsibility for data collection from national sources only for non-EU OECD member countries and the BRIICS.
During the year 2010 the OECD has evaluated the possibility to renew its existing international guidelines and recommendations. In co-operation with UNSD, the European Commission and CIRET it surveyed current availability of tendency surveys internationally and the level of harmonization and adherence to existing guidelines. For 2011 the OECD will start the review of its Business Tendency Surveys handbook last revised in 2003.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The review of the Business Tendency Surveys handbook will start.
Main Economic Indicators
The OECD's Main Economic Indicator (MEI) database provides a wide range of short-term economic indicators (and associated methodological information) for OECD member and non-countries to meet the on-going requirements of a number of internal OECD users.
Objectives and outputs
Maintaining the Main Economic Indicators (MEI) database, which contains monthly and quarterly statistics (and associated statistical methodological information) for all OECD member and for all Enhanced Engagement economies on a wide variety of economic indicators for use by economic analysts, policy makers and business.
Indicators in the MEI database include: quarterly national accounts, industrial production, composite leading indicators, business tendency and consumer opinion surveys, retail trade, consumer and producer prices, hourly earnings, employment/unemployment, interest rates, monetary aggregates, exchange rates, international trade and balance of payments.
There is an on-going process of review to revise the contents of the database in order to maximise the relevance of the database for short-term economic analysis, for example, through the inclusion of new indicators reflecting new areas of analysis and policy making. Enlarging coverage also entails working with other international organisations such as IMF, ILO, ECB and Eurostat in the development of effective international standards for the presentation of statistical methodological information (metadata), and increasing the coverage and quality of statistical metadata, whilst at the same time minimising the reporting burden of member countries.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Economic Indicators (MEI)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
A Review of the MEI process will take place in 2011.
Data collection:
On-going processes to improve the efficiency and timeliness of data capture processes.
There will also be expanded use of data from Eurostat's NewCronos database and the IMF's IFS. Greater efforts will also be made to implement data and metadata exchange standards developed under the SDMX initiative.
Real-time and Revisions Database
To make freely available on the OECD website a "real-time" database with associated revisions analysis of key short-term economic statistics derived from historically published monthly snapshots of the OECD Main Economic Indicators database.
Objectives and outputs
The concept of a real time database is to provide an information set of short-term economic statistics that would have been available to analysts at a specific point in time for the purpose of testing the likely effectiveness of econometric models in real-time. It also provides the opportunity to perform revisions analysis - i.e. to study the magnitude and direction of subsequent revisions to published statistics. A database containing MEI vintage from 1999 was developed and published on the OECD website in 2006.
The portal also provides a broader context on the issue of revisions. This primarily take the form of the revisions framework (outlining the reasons for data revision) formulated by the IMF and of the recommendations published in the OECD "Data and Metadata Reporting and Presentation Handbook".
Updated revisions analysis of GDP and a comparison of revisions between seasonally adjusted and raw series were performed in 2007 and presented at the STESWP and National Accounts working parties, and also at a number of international conferences where the database was also promoted.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
No major changes.
Composite Leading Indicators
To compile and disseminate the OECD composite leading indicators for OECD member countries and for the BRICS NMEs + Indonesia, which help analysts to assess the cyclical phase of the OECD economies and forecast its future development.
To do methodological development work and carry out scientific research in this field.
Objectives and outputs
OECD Composite Leading Indicators (CLI) are published in the monthly Main Economic Indicators publication and in a monthly press release.
The quality of existing CLIs is monitored and enhanced on an on-going basis, including the expansion of country coverage for both OECD member and non-member countries, and the development of new tools in the research software for cyclical analysis and composite indicators.
Main achievements in 2010 were the finalization of a distributable package of the production system (CACISd), setting up the dissemination website in Clearspace, with the goal of reinforcing transparency.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Update CLIs for selected OECD member countries.
Introduction of the 4 new OECD member economy CLIs.
Organization of training seminars.
Data collection:
Inclusion of additional series required for the compilation of CLIs for Brazil, China, India, Russian Federation and South Africa and for OECD member as a result of on-going review of CLI component series for each country.
Data management:
Incorporation of more detailed metadata on CLI compilation methodology in MetaStore.
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics (UNECE STAT)
Activity 2.1: Economic data collection, analysis and advice (Economic database)
Description and objectives
Collect, process and publish economic statistics for the UNECE Member Countries in a publicly available database with online access via English and Russian interfaces. The database provides comparable data on core indicators on short-term and structural economic statistics for all the countries of the UNECE region and a number of different regional aggregates within the UNECE area.
Activities and output
• Maintain an online database providing macroeconomic data in the following areas: national accounts main aggregates, industrial production, labour force, population, wages, price indices, Purchasing Power Parities, exchange rates, interest rates, balance of payments, and external debt.
• Improve quality of published data, focusing on better coverage, timeliness, relevance and comparability, in line with the UNECE data quality framework.
• Improve coverage of seasonally adjusted data for selected macro-economic series.
Activity 5.1: National accounts
Description and objectives
Promote the implementation of the methodology of the System of National Accounts (SNA) in the UNECE region with an emphasis on SEE and EECCA countries. Carry out technical assistance activities, research work and surveys of country practices. Contribute to the work of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA) on development of the global implementation strategy for the 2008 SNA and its adaptation to the needs of the EECCA and SEE countries.
Activities and output
• Contribute to the development of global implementation strategy and international methodological standards, guidelines and manuals for the implementation of 2008 SNA.
• With the assistance of the Steering Group on national accounts work towards promoting international standards in the UNECE region and their adaptation to the needs of the EECCA and SEE countries.
• In close cooperation with partner organisations provide technical assistance to the SEE and EECCA countries in the implementation of 2008 SNA, improvement of the availability and quality of national accounts data, and implementation of other international standards related to national accounts (e.g. economic classifications).
• Contribute to the work on the research agenda of the 2008 SNA, led by the ISWGNA.
• Organise the training workshop on the use of Government Finance Statistics for Compilation of National Accounts targeting economies in transition and other interested countries (in cooperation with IMF and EFTA) in May 2011 in Geneva.
• Organise a seminar on 2008 SNA and related economic statistics for the EECCA and other interested countries.
Organizations and groups involved
ISWGNA (composed of UN Statistics Division, UN Regional Commissions, CIS-STAT, Eurostat, IMF, OECD, and the World Bank.)
CES Steering Group on National Accounts
Activity 5.5: Short-term economic statistics (STS)
Description and objectives
Contribute to the development and implementation of internationally accepted standards, norms and best practices in the field of STS through international cooperation, methodological work and technical assistance. The work aims at improved international comparability of STS with special focus on assisting the South-East European and EECCA countries in STS methodology and seasonal adjustment.
Activities and output
• Co-operate with national and international organisations in improving recommendations, guidelines and methods applied in the production of STS.
• Support the development of STS in accordance with the 2008 System of National Accounts and the revisions of NACE and ISIC classifications.
• Promote application of international recommendations for STS, in particular the Recommendations for the Index of Industrial Production (by UNSD) and the European Statistical System (ESS) Guidelines for Seasonal Adjustment.
• Support Central Asian and other EECCA countries by conducting regional workshops and by preparing practical instructions in English and Russian on STS and seasonal adjustment.
• In order to enable comparison of data, perform seasonal adjustment of Industrial Production Index for countries that have not yet established national practices for seasonal adjustment.
• Help in reviewing international comparability and in improving the applied methods of Industrial Production Index and other STS indicators, if requested by a country.
2.2 Economic accounts (CIS-STAT)
National Accounts
Ongoing work:
Implementation of the System of National Accounts in the accounting practice of the CIS countries in 2011:
• Collection, analysis and dissemination of data on the key macroeconomic indicators developed on the basis of 1993 SNA concepts.
• Preparation of an abstract (Russian-English) illustrating main macroeconomic indicators of the CIS countries, and analytical report on main trends in production and use of gross domestic product in the Commonwealth countries.
• Advisory assistance to the CIS countries in refining methods of defining and reflecting economic processes and phenomena of relevance to the CIS countries in their national accounts.
New activities:
• Recommendations on the implementation of SNA-2008 provisions. It is intended to prepare draft methodological documents on reflecting output of central banks and military expenditures.
2.2 Economic accounts (Delhi Group on Informal Sector Statistics)
Informal Sector
The Delhi Group on Informal Sector Statistics was set up in 1997 as an international forum to exchange experience in the measurement of the informal sector (and, since 2003, of informal employment), document the data-collection practices, including definitions and survey methodologies and recommend measures for improving the quality and comparability of informal sector statistics. It will continue to work on the recommendations of its previous meetings. The ILO, in cooperation with members of the Delhi Group, is preparing a Manual on Surveys of Informal Employment and Informal Sector. Since its inception, the Delhi Group has met 11 times. The 12th Meeting is planned to be held in 2011.
See also: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/citygroup/delhi.htm
2.2 Economic accounts (ECB)
Economic accounts
• Support Eurostat in and contribute to the revision of the European System of Accounts (ESA), which is implementing the reviewed international statistics standards, such as the 2008 SNA and the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments Manual, at the European level.
• Further develop the full system of quarterly integrated accounts by institutional sector for the euro area (the area formed by those EU Member States whose currency is the euro), also aiming at further enhancing the consistency between different statistics and its timeliness. These euro area accounts are prepared by the ECB and the National Central Banks of those European Union Member States whose currency is the euro (Eurosystem), together with Eurostat and the national statistical institutes. The sectors covered are non-financial corporations, financial corporations, government, households and the rest of the world.
• Contribute to the development of international statistics standards through, for example, the development of the third part of the BIS-ECB-IMF Handbook on Securities Statistics and (ii) an active participation in the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts, which following the revision of 2008 SNA, is in charge of the long-term Research Agenda.
2.2 Economic accounts (Eurostat)
Theme 2.01 Annual economic accounts
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Annual national accounts - main aggregates;
• Productivity and growth analysis;
• Annual non-financial Sector Accounts (ASA);
• Annual financial accounts (AFA);
• Pensions.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Implementation of NACE Rev 2;
• Implementation of the revised ESA Transmission Programme;
• Matching sector accounts with household survey data (linked to recommendation 16 of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission);
• Harmonised revision policy - national accounts and balance of payments;
• EU productions systems in national accounts - exploratory analysis.
• Ensure complete and timely availability of national accounts data, ensure production and dissemination of EU/EA accounts data.
• Ensure complete and timely availability of supply, use and symmetric input-output tables; improve quality of data with a view to consistency among the tables and with corresponding national accounts data.
• Ensure complete and timely availability of regional accounts data.
• Validate publish, in European System of Accounts (ESA) format:
- the annual non-financial sector accounts of the Member States;
- the annual financial sector accounts and balance sheets of the Member States.
• Harmonise annual non-financial sector accounts data: cross-country comparisons of key indicators and documentation of Member States' practices in the field of household sector delineation.
• Pursue work on the revision of ESA 95 in relation to discussion, finalisation and adoption of the new ESA Regulation by the Council and the European Parliament.
• Assess quality of implementation of ESA 95, including, in particular, improved price and volume measures in national accounts, development of satellite accounts and supplementary tables, assessment of FISIM (Financial Intermediation Services Indirectly Measured), preparing the implementation of the new ESA methodology etc. and drawing conclusions for future work.
• Prepare and test revised ESA pensions recording (through the Pensions Contact Group).
• Productivity and growth accounting (EU KLEMS - EU level analysis of capital (K), labour (L), energy (E), materials (M) and service (S) inputs on a detailed activity level).
• National accounts production system (NAPS).
• Pursue discussions on the SNA at international level as required, including the research agenda and implementation aspects.
• Explanatory analysis of NA production system.
2.2 Economic accounts (ILO)
Informal Economy
Ongoing methodological work:
• The ILO is continuing its methodological work on statistics of informal employment, on the basis of the guidelines endorsed by the 17th ICLS (2003) as a supplement to the 15th ICLS resolution concerning statistics of employment in the informal sector. A technical manual on surveys of informal employment and the informal sector is being prepared in cooperation with the Delhi Group.
• Following a request by the International Labour Conference in June 2002, the ILO continues to assist countries in the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics on the informal economy.
• A Handbook on the Surveys of Informal Employment and Informal Sector will be published in the second half of 2011.
• Developmental work is under way to produce statistics on cooperatives in collaboration with COOP. A paper will be finalised in 2010 that will be published. Measurement of cooperatives will be recommended in ongoing technical assistance to countries.
2.2 Economic accounts (IMF)
Real Sector
• The IMF collaborates with Eurostat to source its real sector data for EU and EU accession countries on Eurostat's database.
National Accounts
• The IMF is permanent member of the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA) - chairing agency during 2006 and 2007. The IMF contributed to production of the System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA), drawing on its expertise in real sector financial, balance of payments and government finance statistics.
• The IMF conducts training courses on the 2008 SNA and on quarterly national accounts.
• The IMF provides technical assistance in national accounts to member countries through a variety of venues, including staff missions to individual countries. It is also involved, as member of the ISWGNA, in the implementation strategy of the 2008 SNA.
• The IMF collects and disseminates national accounts data on member countries through its monthly International Financial Statistics (IFS), the International Financial Statistics Yearbook (IFSY) and the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB), as well as providing hyperlinks to selected individual country data systems. The IFS currently contains financial and economic statistics for 180 member countries and for the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), the Euro Area, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, the West African Economic and Monetary Union, the West Bank and Gaza, and four nonmembers (Anguilla, Aruba, Montserrat, and the Netherlands Antilles). Databases related to the IFS are available to subscribers on CD-ROM. The monthly edition of IFS is available to subscribers on the Internet and the complete searchable IFS database has become available since January 2002.
2.2 Economic accounts (OECD)
Annual National Accounts
To provide, on an internationally comparable basis, a timely update of annual national accounts data to internal and external users for analytical purposes.
To provide a forum of international exchange on national accounts standards, in order to improve the relevance of SNA 93 and enhance international comparability.
Objectives and outputs
The annual national accounts database (SNA) presents a consistent set of data mainly compiled on the basis of the 1993 System of National Accounts. It contains data from 1970 whenever possible for OECD member countries.
The paper and electronic publications contain a wide selection of accounts: Main aggregates (GDP by expenditure, GDP by kind of activity, GDP by income and disposable income, saving and net lending), detailed breakdown by kind of activity for gross value added (at current and constant prices), components of value added, and gross fixed capital formation and employment. It also includes final consumption expenditure of households by purpose and simplified accounts for general government. Detailed accounts by institutional sectors are only available on the electronic publications. The publications also give comparative tables based on exchange rates and comparative tables based on purchasing power parities for OECD member countries and for the following groups: OECD, OECD-Europe, Euro Zone and the European Union as well as volume and price indices for GDP aggregates. Data are made available to member country government agencies on OLISnet thanks to OECD.Stat and to the public through dissemination in paper publication, CD-ROM, SourceOECD, OECD.Stat and tables freely available on Internet.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Russian Federation
Annual National Accounts (ANA)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Collect data from EE countries : Brazil, India, South Africa
Economics Department Analytical Data Base (ADB)
Management, co-ordination and provision of statistical data sets in support of Economics Department work described under Theme 1 (Economic Growth, Stability and Structural Adjustment). Primarily as input to the Economic Outlook assessment process, ensure timely and consistent updating of the body of largely macroeconomic statistics and calculation of subsidiary concepts necessary for corresponding analytical activities. Checking methodological soundness and consistency of data definitions against the analytical needs of the Department and in particular Country Desks. Development and maintenance of related programmes, definitions and procedures and associated metadata systems in support of analytical users.
Objectives and outputs
Maintains relevant Analytical Data Bank in support of relevant needs of ECO's macro analytical work, notably with respect to the data needs of the OECD Economic Outlook. In conjunction with STD and other statistical groups, co-ordinates, manages and extracts the relevant annual and quarterly data sets from available sources within the OECD (mostly STD), National Administrations and related publications. The primary database covers a range of statistical concepts relevant, in particular, to the assessment of the world's economic situation and developments in member country economies. These include a wide range of national accounts, wage, price and labour force, fiscal and financial accounts, exchange rates, international trade and balance of payments concepts reported on a variety of frequencies. Basic definitions and requirements are those of the economists in the Policy and Country Studies branches. The relevant statistics are used routinely in the analysis incorporated in documents for the Economic Policy and Economic Development Review Committees and are reported as supporting material in the corresponding OECD publications - the twice yearly OECD Economic Outlook and the OECD Country Survey series. The Economic Outlook data set is also disseminated as an OECD data product.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Economics Department Analytical Database
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Main changes in content relate to the progressive inclusion of relevant statistics for the Accession and Enhanced Engagement countries over the coming year. New indicators to help monitoring analysis will be introduced. Main technical changes in the past and coming year relate to the continuing migration to the ADB to ECO's time series data management system, incorporating direct links to in-house source data bases and the MetaStore system, the integration of Economic Outlook publications data base within the OECD.Stat system and the incorporation of relevant production metadata within MetaStore for internal and external use.
Data management:
Development of metadata link based HELP system within data management system, revisions to control and access rights for users outside of ECO.
Financial Accounts
To provide unique data sets of harmonised data on financial accounts and financial balance sheets of OECD countries, according to SNA 1993, to analysts and policy makers.
Objectives and outputs
This activity mainly focuses on the collection of comparable quantitative and qualitative information on financial transactions carried out and on financial stocks held by institutional sectors of the economy in the OECD member countries.
The main objectives are to improve the quantity and the quality of information on OECD financial accounts (transmission of timely, reliable and consistent data) and to disseminate comparable tables on financial accounts (transactions) and financial balance sheets (stocks).
Accession countries' data have been included in the databases when available.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Financial Accounts (ANA)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The most important change will be the new quarterly frequency which will be added for the four SNA-related databases (see below).
In addition, the database on Financial Accounts and Financial Balance Sheets will continue to be improved. All OECD countries are now covered. For some countries however, the sectoral coverage has still to be extended while for some countries, additional datasets (flows or stocks, consolidated or non-consolidated) will continue to be required.
Data for Russia, for the EE5 countries, and for additional G20 countries (Argentina and Saudi Arabia) will be requested.
Detailed methodological information relating Financial accounts and Financial balance sheets should be updated and included in MetaStore.
Data collection:
In 2011, data will be collected on a quarterly basis in addition to the current annual frequency. However, EU data will not be published.
Historical data will be added to the database as soon as countries sent them. Data which are still missing for some Member countries will continue to be requested and included in the databases.
Data for Russia will be integrated (if provided) in the OECD databases; depending on resources, data for some non-Member countries (EE5 and G20) will be asked and processed according to their availability.
Moreover, following conclusions of the 2009 and 2010 WPFS meetings, financial indicators based on financial accounts and balance sheets, and on the two other SNA-related database (on Households and Institutional investors) will be calculated and disseminated.
IT developments in the ANA database, which should have been made in 2010, are urgently needed at the very beginning of 2011 to be able to integrate quarterly data.
Data management:
Financial indicators based on these datasets should be calculated and made available in the datasets.
A new database system has been required to ITN to host quarterly data which have been requested from countries: it has to be created at the very beginning of the year to be able to use quarterly financial accounts data.
General Government National Accounts
To provide, on an internationally comparable basis, a timely update of annual national accounts data for the sector of general government and sub-sectors to internal and external users. This covers detailed revenues and detailed expenditures by function of general government and subsectors.
To provide a forum for international exchange on national accounts and public finance standards in order to improve the relevance of SNA 93 and enhance international comparability of major public finance indicators.
Objectives and outputs
The project on general government national accounts began in September 2003. There are three objectives of the project: (1) improve the transmission to and dissemination by the OECD of timely and detailed data on general government; (2) enhance the comparability of the major aggregate results for general government such as general government deficit/surplus and/or general government debt.
Data are made available to member country government agencies on OLISnet thanks to OECD.Stat and to the public through dissemination in OECD.Stat and tables freely available on Internet.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Russian Federation
Annual National Accounts (ANA)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Collect data for EE countries: Brazil, India, South Africa
Handbook on the Measurement of Non-market Services
To advance on the volume output measurement for health and education services in the national accounts.
Objectives and outputs
This activity was endorsed by the OECD Committee on Statistics in 2005. The main purpose is the development of a handbook on the topic and advances with the empirical measurement of the volume of health and education services across countries (see also PPP for health and education). The handbook has now been completed and was published in 2010.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Activity completed in 2010.
Household Assets and Liabilities
This data collection aims at better knowing the households' behaviour vis-à-vis risks and enables studies on the distribution of households' wealth. It refers to the SNA sector S14 - Households.
An additional questionnaire is sent yearly to OECD countries in parallel with the OECD/Eurostat joint questionnaire on Financial Accounts.
Objectives and outputs
Updating of the database.
Extension of the database to additional countries (accession countries).
Better coverage of financial and non-financial assets and on detailed liabilities.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Household Assets and Liabilities
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
It is expected to further improve the coverage (assets and liabilities) of the database and to extend the geographical coverage to non-member countries (EE5 and G20)
Quarterly data will be collected and used to calculate financial indicators.
Data collection:
According to conclusions of the 2010 WPFS meeting, quarterly data will be collected.
Data management:
The methodological information currently available in WORD documents might be stored in MetaStore using links to these documents, when resources permit.
To provide a comprehensive database for cross country analyses of industrial structures, the interrelationships between consumers and producers, and the interactions between countries (e.g. as regards outsourcing and trade flows).
Objectives and outputs
The current OECD input-output database is based on detailed national accounts estimates of economic activity and interrelationships within economies. The database is based on an ISIC Rev.3 and is consistent with the latest system of national accounts (SNA93). Data for 33 OECD countries and 11 non-member countries are currently available, with latest data for many countries referring to 2005 with tables also available for most countries for 2000 or nearest year and for the mid-1990s.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Country coverage to be expanded to include more Asian countries and, if possible, to complete the coverage of G20.
Institutional Investors' assets
This data collection integrated in the framework of the SNA cover detailed assets (including a breakdown of resident/non resident data) for a number of institutional investors (more detailed than in the SNA93). Its aim is to have more detailed information on the activities of the institutional investors (not covered by the SNA) in OECD Member countries.
An additional questionnaire is sent yearly to OECD countries in parallel with the OECD/Eurostat joint questionnaire on Financial Accounts.
Objectives and outputs
The database has been updated up to 2009, including new OECD countries and Russia.
Improvements in the coverage of the database have been achieved.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Institutional Investors' assets
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Update and improvement of the coverage.
According to decisions taken at the 2010 WPFS meeting, quarterly data will be collected when available and used to calculate indicators.
Data collection:
Improved coverage of the database.
According to conclusions of the 2010 WPFS meeting, quarterly data will be collected.
Data management:
The methodological information currently available in WORD documents might be stored in MetaStore using links to these documents, when resources permit.
National Accounts for Non-member Economies
To cooperate with non-member countries not included in the Quarterly National Accounts database and incorporate these countries into the standard OECD MEI data collection and dissemination program.
Objectives and outputs
Provide users with non-member national accounts data.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
China, India, Indonesia, South Africa
National accounts and prices for non-member countries
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
To remove these countries once they are incorporated into the QNA database.
Productivity/Capital Services
Four OECD Directorates have co-operated to produce a data set for productivity measures, a widely-used indicator of economic performance. The purpose of this activity is to bring together, in one place, the results of this work and make available various productivity measures as well as relevant methodological information such as the OECD Manual on Measuring Capital. The series on capital services, multi-factor productivity (MFP) and GDP per hour worked are a standard input into the Economic Department's estimate of potential output.
Objectives and outputs
Labour productivity indices for 30 countries and a set of capital services and multi-factor productivity measures for 20 countries are regularly updated and are available on OECD.Stat. Recent methodological developments concerned both the development of multi-factor productivity estimates by industry in the OECD STAN STructural ANalysis Database and research on total economy productivity measures.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
International organisation
Productivity/capital services database
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
In 2011, the database will continue to be updated regularly with the aim to increase the number of available countries, and MFP by industry statistics related to the development of OECD STAN STructural ANalysis Database will be released. Methodological developments will concern both productivity indicators at the total economy level and MFP estimates by industry.
Quarterly National Accounts
1. To provide a real time update of member countries' sets of quarterly national accounts to internal users, mainly the OECD Economics Department. Quarterly national accounts constitute a significant input into the OECD's macro-economic modelling and forecasting work.
2. To provide external users a selection of key time series from countries' quarterly national accounts, some area totals and a consistent and internationally comparable set of volume data and indices for analytical purposes.
Objectives and outputs
The OECD Quarterly National Accounts (QNA) database presents data collected from countries on the basis of a standardised OECD/Eurostat questionnaire based on SNA 1993/ESA 1995. It contains, as from 1960 whenever possible, a wide selection of the accounts produced by the 34 member countries covering accounts at the level of the overall economy and some institutional sectors accounts.
Work is concentrated on producing relevant, reliable, consistent, comparable and timely quarterly national accounts for member countries and a few non-member economies.
The QNA publications contain a selection of the accounts most widely used for economic analysis: GDP - expenditure and output approaches (current prices and volume estimates), GDP income approach (current prices), Saving and net lending (current prices), Gross fixed capital formation (current prices and volume estimates) broken down separately by type of asset and by institutional sector, Disposable income and Real disposable income components, Population and Employment, Compensation of employees by industry, Employment by industry, Household final consumption expenditure (current prices and volume estimates) by durability and by purpose.
Brazilian data have been loaded to the QNA database in 2010.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Quarterly National Accounts (QNA)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Extend the coverage of the database by the inclusion of new accounts/series provided by countries.
Increase geographical coverage of the QNA database by including Enhanced Engagement (EE) countries (India, Indonesia, China and South Africa) and possibly remaining G20 countries (Argentina and Saudi Arabia).
Collect non-financial Quarterly Sector Accounts (QSA) data for EU countries through Eurostat. Study the possibility to collect non-EU QSA depending on data availability.
Data collection:
Extension of the statistical content (new accounts, new sets of chained volume estimates, new seasonally adjusted series) and the time coverage (historical series) to take account of the development of QNA made in countries.
Extension of the country coverage (new Member countries and EE countries).
Encourage non-EU countries to provide QNA data in SDMX format.
Sending of a standard questionnaire to non-EU countries for quarterly sector accounts data collection.
Data management:
Change of the OECD reference year to 2005.
Update of the composition of OECD groups based on new Members.
Human Capital Accounts
To develop an agreed methodology for producing numerical estimates of Human Capital for the purposes of international and inter-temporal comparisons.
Objectives and outputs
The project was endorsed by CSTAT in June and started in October 2009. An OECD database has been set up with all essential information needed to measure human capital for each participating country (16 OECD member and 2 non-member countries). The preliminary estimation results have shown the feasibility of measuring human capital for comparative analyses, based on common methodology and assumptions, and even by using categorical data.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Romania, Russian Federation
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
A working paper that summarises the outcomes of the first phase of the project will be released in early 2011. In addition, efforts will be put on improving estimates and extending country coverage if possible. Work on constructing an accumulation account that explains the changes in human capital is also envisaged.
Measuring disparities in a National Accounts framework
This activity aims to integrate information on distribution in the household national accounts. The Expert Group gathering micro and macro experts on households' will consider how existing micro data could be used to produce measures of disparities between groups of households that are consistent with SNA concepts and SNA averages for the household sector.
Objectives and outputs
The first phase of the project (from January 2011 to summer 2011) will focus on tacking stock of information currently available on household income, in-kind transfers, consumption expenditures and, in perspective, wealth as provided by both macro and micro sources, including a description and a comparison of recorded amounts from the two sources.
The second activity (from September 2011 to the summer 2012) will consist in breaking down SNA-aggregates for the household sector using information available from micro-sources (i.e. allocating macro-aggregates among different groups of households) so that measures of disparities, consistent with SNA aggregates, could be constructed. The final outputs will consist of two reports:
i. A report summarizing the current data availability of macro data on household income, consumption and wealth, detailing how these are compiled and assessing how micro-data are used in that process across OECD countries. The report will also present a comparison of micro and macro aggregates.
ii. A report presenting a breakdown on SNA household aggregates for a number of countries in a recent year, based on common methodologies and disaggregation.
The Expert Group will begin its work in early 2011, with final results expected by 2012.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
In 2011 we expect to achieve a better knowledge i) on how the household national accounts are compiled across countries and ii) on gaps between micro and macro data on households' economic resources across countries.
2.2 Economic accounts (UN Statistics Division)
National Accounts
• Contributes as a member of the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA) to the international coordination, development and updating of the System of National Accounts (SNA), the internationally accepted statistical standard of the national accounts. The System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA) is the latest version of the SNA.
• Serves as the Secretariat to the ISWGNA by providing logistical and administrative support to the research and implementation program of the ISWGNA and the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts (AEG).
• Administers and maintains the website of the ISWGNA, which provides a platform for coordination and monitoring of the research and implementation programme for the SNA. It provides links to the work programs of the ISWGNA members and the Regional Commissions and the progress on the research agenda of the SNA including the activities of the AEG. The website is available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/default.asp
• Drafts, publishes and disseminates the bi-annual ISWGNA newsletter "SNA News and Notes" in cooperation with the members of the ISWGNA. The newsletter contains information on developments in research issues relevant for the SNA and related international standards; clarifications, interpretations and changes in the SNA; country experiences in the SNA implementation as well as publications, meetings and seminars and other relevant information.
• Drafts in collaboration with the ISWGNA members, the annual ISWGNA report to the Statistical Commission which sets out the strategy and status of progress of statistical programme for the SNA in part based on country assessments of their scope and detail of implementation of the accounts of the SNA and their conceptual compliance with the SNA recommendations.
• Undertakes methodological research on issues on the international research agenda for the SNA in collaboration with the ISWGNA with a present priority on FISIM, globalisation-related issues and emissions permits.
• Supports the implementation programme of the 2008 SNA by developing and updating supporting normative standards, training material and compilation guidance for the implementation of national accounts and supporting economic statistics.
• Delivers a statistical capacity building program for the implementation of the 2008 SNA and supporting statistics through a series of regional and interregional workshops and seminar in collaboration with the Regional Commissions and regional agencies and through a limited number of individual country technical assistance missions.
• Collects and disseminates official annual national accounts statistics from countries and publishes them in the National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables. The data are also available electronically through the UNdata website at http://data.un.org/
• Prepares national accounts estimates to complement the official national accounts statistics from countries to obtain consistent and complete time series and publishes them in the National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates.
• Maintains the National Accounts Main Aggregates Database which contains a complete and consistent set of time series from 1970 onwards of main national accounts aggregates and derived analytical indicators and ratios for more than 200 countries and territories. These data are available on the web at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/Introduction.asp
• Provides services to the Committee for Contributions of the United Nations through research on the methodology of the scale of assessment (i.e. contributions to the United Nations by Member States), and the actual calculation of the scale of assessment. This also includes the provision of services to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations in respect to the scale of assessment.
2.2 Economic accounts (World Bank)
Gross National Income
Ongoing work:
Atlas GNI per Capita
• The World Bank estimates dollar converted gross national income (GNI) per capita for all borrowing member countries, as well as most other economies;
• Per capita GNI for a country in local currency terms is converted into U.S. dollars by applying the Atlas conversion factor. The Atlas conversion factor is the simple arithmetic average of the current exchange rate and the exchange rates in the previous two years adjusted for the ratio of domestic to international inflation. The change in the GDP-deflator is used as a measure of domestic inflation, and the change in the SDR-deflator to represent international inflation. The SDR-deflator is compiled as a weighted average of the EURO-area, United States, United Kingdom and Japan's GDP-deflators;
• The purpose of applying the Atlas conversion factor is to lessen the effect of fluctuations and abrupt changes in the exchange rate, which can be heavily affected by capital flows. Thus, income measures converted using the Atlas conversion factor tend to be more stable over time, and changes in income rankings are more likely to reflect changes in relative economic performance than exchange rate fluctuations.
National Accounts
The Bank continues its collaboration with the UN, IMF, OECD, and EUROSTAT through the Inter-Secretariat working group on national accounts (ISWGNA). The ISWGNA currently finished the work on updating the SNA, and the English version of the SNA 2008 has been published, and will be translated to all UN languages. The World Bank supports the implementation of the 2008 SNA in developing countries through activities of its regular work program of statistical capacity building. The World Bank is preparing two handbooks complimenting the 2008 SNA aimed specifically at supporting national accountants in small developing countries. The first of these is the 2008 SNA - Concepts in Brief, and the second an accompanying implementation guide, the 2008 SNA - Implementation in Brief. The World Bank is also developing an e-learning course on National Accounts, which will be provided free of charge on the web.
2.3 Business statistics (CIS-STAT)
Distributive Trade
Ongoing work:
In the distributive trade for 2011:
Monthly collection, processing, analysis and publication of data:
• On volumes of retail trade turnover through all sales channels (for trading organisations and the informal sector, in current prices);
• On stocks of goods in retail trade, in current prices;
• On volume changes in trade turnover (in current and constant prices);
• On prices for selected kinds of consumer goods at trade enterprises of the capitals of the Commonwealth countries.
Quarterly data:
• On volumes of retail trade turnover by small size enterprises (in current prices).
Half yearly data:
• On volumes of retail trade turnover by form of ownership (in current prices).
Yearly data:
• On the structure of sales of food and non-food goods in value terms in current prices and indicators of sales in quantity;
• Statistics on the intermediary activities of various specialized exchanges (goods, raw materials, stocks and shares, currencies, etc);
• Availability to the public in the CIS countries of selected consumer durables;
• Sales of alcoholic beverages per capita;
• Preparation of economic reports on institutional changes in the distributive trade and marketed services sector, on the situation in the consumer market for goods in the CIS countries, on the structure of retail trade turnover in the CIS countries, on comparative prices in retail trade for selected goods in the capitals of the Commonwealth countries.
New activities:
• Improvement of methodological recommendations on statistical observation of retail trade turnover and calculation of its volume index.
Business Statistics
Ongoing work:
• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of quarterly and yearly data in 2011-2012 on profits of enterprises and organizations and the settlement situation of enterprises and organizations, both domestically and with other countries of the Commonwealth.
Market Services
Ongoing work:
In the field of market services for 2011 it is envisaged to collect, process and publish:
Monthly data:
• On the supply of market services, including personal services rendered to population through all channels of sales, in current prices;
• On changes in the supply of market services to population, in current and constant prices.
Quarterly data:
• On the supply of market services to population by small size enterprises, in current prices.
Half yearly data:
• On the supply of market services to population by forms of ownership and small size enterprises, in current prices.
Yearly data:
• On the structure of services in value terms (in current prices) and in quantity of sales.
• Preparation of annual economic reports on the situation at the consumer market of market services to population in the Commonwealth countries.
Industry Statistics
Ongoing work:
• Collection, processing and publication of data on industry in CIS countries:
- Monthly: output of the main types of industrial products in quantity, industrial output in current prices, and indices of industrial output (in constant prices), both as a whole and by main industries;
- Yearly: output of the main types of industrial products by product category;
forecasts of output of rolled ferrous metal products, cotton fibres, extraction and production of the main types of fuel and energy resources.
• Preparation of analytical reports on the situation and development of selected industrial branches.
2.3 Business statistics (ECB)
In close cooperation with Eurostat:
• Compilation of euro area business demography indicators.
Jointly with the EU Commission (DG Enterprise and Industry):
• Continue the compilation of statistics on access to finance, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Comprehensive surveys are run every two years in cooperation with the European Commission, and part of the survey, focusing on issues of conjunctural relevance, is run by the ECB every six months.
2.3 Business statistics (Eurostat)
Theme 3.01 Annual business statistics
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Industrial production statistics (Prodcom);
• Structural Business Statistics (SBS);
• Statistics on Foreign Affiliates (FATS);
• Modernisation of European Enterprise and Trade Statistics (MEETS).
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Launch a project to develop indicators on global value chains, as a follow-up of the international sourcing survey and related data linking (subject to approval by the business statistics directors/ESSC).
• Implement Council and EP Decision 1297/2008 (MEETS), implement the Commission Decision on the financing for 2011.
• Implement Council and EP Decision 1297/2008 (MEETS), implement the Commission Decision on the financing for 2010.
• Ensure the implementation of Regulation No 295/2008 on SBS and Commission Regulation 97/2009 on the first implementation of the flexible module. Process and disseminate the collected data.
• Process and disseminate 2010 Prodcom data according to the Prodcom Regulation. Promote harmonisation of national methodologies for Prodcom.
• Ensure the implementation of Regulation No 716/2007 on FATS. Process and disseminate the collected data.
• Set up the 2012 Prodcom list.
• Ensure continued quality improvement of Prodcom, SBS and FATS data.
• Analyse the results of the pilot actions in the framework of the SBS Regulation and the FATS Regulation and plan the further application of the flexible module of the SBS Regulation. If pilot actions prove the feasibility of the data collection, proceed with the necessary measures for the implementation.
• Contribute to the entrepreneurship indicator programme. Ensure adoption of Commission Regulations implementing Regulation (EC) 295/2008 and amending Commission Regulations 250/2009 and 251/2009 to integrate employer business demography statistics and high growth enterprises.
• Prepare the report to the European Parliament and Council on the implementation of Regulation 295/2008 on SBS.
• Finalise the project on linking of microdata on international sourcing.
• Implement Council and EP Decision 1297/2008 (MEETS).
Theme 3.02 Short-term business statistics
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Production of short-term business statistics (STS) for industry, construction, retail trade and other services;
• Consolidation and improvement of quality.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Assess the short-term statistics compiled, in particular their relevance and quality as well as the revision of indicators; specifically address the cost of the statistical system and the burden on business in relation to its benefits; report on best practices for lessening the burden on business and indicate ways of reducing the burden and costs.
• Timely production of existing indicators and their publication;
• Investigatie and improve the reliability, accuracy and comparability of STS indicators.
• STS is an active participant in the MEETS programme (see theme 3.01).
2.3 Business statistics (OECD)
Business Statistics and Entrepreneurship
i) To provide official annual data for detailed industrial and service sectors (at the 4 digit ISIC level), consistent and relevant for international comparison in order to meet policy makers' and analysts' needs for structural business statistics for detailed economic sectors. Three databases are currently maintained.
ii) To develop a program of internationally-comparable indicators of entrepreneurship, its determinants and its impacts, to inform policy-analysis and policy-making. This activity is called Entrepreneurship Indicators Program (EIP).
Objectives and outputs
i) The databases on structural business statistics (SSIS) and (BSC), updated through a joint questionnaire with UNIDO, contain annual data on core economic variables, relating to both industry and services, at a very detailed level of ISIC revision 3 (up to the 4th digit level). They cover such variables as production, value added, investment, number of enterprises, employment, wages and salaries, and hours worked. Statistics are derived mainly from structural business surveys, censuses and administrative sources.
The BSC database contains this information broken down by enterprise size class.
ii) In the framework of the Entrepreneurship Indicators Programme, Business Demography Indicators are collected formally and include indicators of birth, death and survival rates and numbers of high growth firms - all based on common concepts developed in the Eurostat-OECD Manual on Business Demography Statistics published in 2007.
The main achievement of this activity include the publication Structural and Demographic Business Statistics (March 2010) and the Statistics Brief No. 15 on Measuring Entrepreneurship (November 2010).
The Entrepreneurship Indicators Programme Steering Group held its sixth meeting in December 2010. This was followed by a Workshop jointly organised by the OECD and Eurostat. The Workshop focused on two categories of entrepreneurship determinants: culture and capabilities.
In addition to the Steering Group, the Secretariat has developed an EIP Network so that additional countries and organisations may remain abreast of the Entrepreneurship Indicators Programme work and participate on an ad hoc basis.
The EIP was presented in several official internal meetings and in Workshops and Conferences held outside the Organisation.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania
SDBS - Business Demography Indicators
SDBS - Structural Business Statistics
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Expected improvements to SDBS statistics in 2011 include:
• The extension of the country coverage in the collection of comparable business demography statistics;
• The development of additional indicators of entrepreneurial performance;
• The publication of the first issue of Entrepreneurship at a Glance in March 2011.
Data collection:
Extension of the country coverage in the collection of entrepreneurship statistics is expected. It is also expected that other entrepreneurship indicators will be identified and added.
Foreign Affiliates in Services
To give detailed data on the role played by multinationals in the services sectors of the OECD countries, which concerns inward and outward foreign direct investment.
Objectives and outputs
The database on Foreign Affiliates Trade in Services covers the following variables: number of enterprises, turnover, value added, employment, personnel costs, investments, exports and imports, R&D expenditure and R&D personnel, for inward and outward activities of multinational firms. Data on the activity of parent companies are also requested.
Foreign Affiliates Trade in Services Database (FATS)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
This database is going to be merged with the AFA database in a new AMNE database.
The 2010 questionnaire already includes these changes.
The cooperation with EUROSTAT should also become more important in 2011 going towards same definitions and questionnaires, except for the survey on parent companies.
Micro-data on enterprises
To develop a large scale database of firm-level information, comparable across countries and industries. The database will contain a broad range of firm-level data, including employment, sales, labour costs, assets, etc., as well as information on the capital structure of firms.
This micro-database aims to complement existing OECD databases on industry and services (SBS, STAN, etc.).
Objectives and outputs
The micro-database is built on the ORBIS database of Bureau Van Dijk covering around 65 million companies across different industries and countries over several years. This database collects information on a broad range of financial and industrial information at the firm-level.
Given that the structure of the original database is not meant to serve research purposes, data is being extracted in a format suitable for analytical work. In addition, a thorough process of data cleaning and double checking is being undertaken to guarantee/increase the quality of the data.
In order to assess the coverage of the original database across industries and countries, existing databases will be used to assess the representativeness of the data.
The database is designed to support the analytical activities of different OECD directorates.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Europe, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Other, Peru, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, South Africa, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
• Update of the OECD Orbis database with a new architecture of the database, covering additional company and financial information, and as well ownership data with high quality.
• Analysis of the representativeness of ORBIS data compared to official micro-data available.
• Identification of multinationals and business groups.
• Intra-firm trade estimates.
Data collection:
More comparable information is expected on business demography and Entrepreneurship statistics, especially on the basis of the new Eurostat-OECD manual on Business Demography Statistics.
Production and Sales Indicators
To provide short-term economic indicators of production, sales, orders, work started and in progress and stocks for OECD member countries and selected large emerging non-member economies.
Objectives and outputs
All the subjects under the Production and sales are classified under the following six top headings: Production, Sales, Orders, Work started, Work in progress, Stocks. Within each heading, indicators are further classified according to economic activities.
A review of core indicators took place in 2010, with an aim of streamlining the area, and prepare for a less co-ordinated operation between subjects within the MEI database and publications.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
No changes expected.
International Coordination of Services Statistics
Given the wide variety of activities carried out by national and international organisations related to service statistics, to improve coordination of international development work on services statistics and facilitate a strategic view of priority needs. To provide an overview of these activities and facilitate communication between international expert groups involved. To identify overlaps, links and gaps in international work on methodological issues and data collection.
Objectives and outputs
Provide a report to the UN Statistics Commission (UNSC) on coordination of services statistics, with proposals on strategy, as requested by UNSC.
Facilitate coordination on service statistics by providing central information point on services statistics developments, gathering information from active groups, and create and maintain web pages on international developments in services statistics.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
China, Hong Kong, India, Other, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Delivery of services strategy and coordination report to UNSC 2010, with follow up as requested by UNSC. Development of OECD web pages on coordination of services statistics. Continue coordination work and monitoring developments according to guidance from UNSC 2010, Continue to chair and coordinate the work of the Task Force on Statistics on International Trade in Services (TFSITS).
Journal of Business Cycle Measurement and Analysis
To exchange knowledge and information on the theoretical and operational aspects of business and economic cycle research, involving both measurement and analysis.
Objectives and outputs
The Statistics Directorate gives the associate editor and chairman of the editorial board of the Journal; provides liaison between the publication system (PAC) the editor in chief located in Zurich (CIRET) and the editorial board.
The journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on business cycles. The themes covered by the Journal comprise: analysis and explanation of cyclical fluctuations; business cycle specification, definition and classification; statistical approaches to the development of short-term economic statistics and indicators; business tendency, investment and consumer surveys; use of survey data or cyclical indicators for business cycle analysis.
Each volume has two regular issues with 4-5 articles, and occasionally special editions. The Journal also provides a calendar of conferences, along with e-information and book reviews which are of interest and within its scope.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Extension, renewal of the editorial board.
Improved and corrected iLibrary appearance.
New issues automatically exported to RePeC.
Training and skills development in SMEs
Collection of data through surveys of SMEs in Canada, Turkey, Poland, Belgium, UK and New Zealand.
Objectives and outputs
Survey has more than 700 responses so far from Poland, UK, Belgium, New Zealand and Turkey. Survey to be finalised with inputs from Canada and Turkey and Belgium by March 2011.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Data on microfirms (less than 10 employees) and about formal and informal training.
2.3 Business statistics (UN Statistics Division)
Industrial Statistics
Ongoing activities:
• UNSD continues the collection, processing and dissemination of global industrial commodity production statistics and maintains the industrial commodity statistics database containing data for about 200 countries and areas and more than 600 commodities. Production data is being provided in physical quantities and monetary values.
• UNSD continues compilation and dissemination of Index Numbers of Industrial Production for countries, geographic regions and the world;
• Industrial statistics are published in UNSD's Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook, in the UN Statistical Yearbook and in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. Industrial Commodity Statistics datasets and the General Industrial Statistics Dataset are available in electronic format.
New activities for 2011:
• Further development of the industry statistics web-site, especially with respect to short-term indicators.
• Investigation of possibilities of data transfer from EUROSTAT on industrial commodity production statistics and index of industrial production to avoid duplications in data collection;
• Conduct of regional workshops on manufacturing statistics.
Distributive Trade Statistics
Priority objectives:
• Implementation of International Recommendations on Distributive Trade Statistics.
Ongoing activities:
• Maintenance of the UNSD website on distributive trade statistics, including provision of a handbook on good practices in compilation of distributive trade indices.
2.3 Business statistics (UNIDO)
Industrial Statistics
i) Ongoing activities
• UNIDO in collaboration with OECD compiles and disseminates worldwide key industrial statistics at the 2-, 3- and 4-digit levels of ISIC. As per UN mandate UNIDO collects data directly from NSOs for non-OECD member countries while OECD collects data from its member countries and provides them to UNIDO to complete the global coverage of the UNIDO industrial statistics database system.
• Data received from NSOs are screened, adjusted and supplemented with UNIDO estimates as before, then will be stored in the UNIDO Industrial Statistics Database (INDSTAT).
• In 2010, UNIDO started to implement ISIC Rev 4 in its database. However, the full implementation depends on the number of countries which can regularly report data by ISIC Rev.4.
• UNIDO continues to maintain the ISIC (Rev.3) version of its Industrial Demand-Supply Balance (IDSB) Database.
•The handbook on industrial statistics -"Industrial statistics: Guidelines and Methodology" by UNIDO has been published. This handbook is published to assist NSOs of developing countries in conducting industrial survey, building the industrial database and carrying out data analysis.
• UNIDO has published "World statistics on mining and utilities 2010". This is the first publication on world mining and utility statistics. The publication has been sent out to National Statistical Offices for comments and feedbacks.
ii) Methodological work that can go beyond 2010
• In 2010 UNIDO started to work on implementation of imputation method. Initially, this method will be applied to INDSTAT 2 database.
• A project for producing data on quarterly trends of manufacturing production is on the way and regular data production might start in 2011.
iii) New activities to be undertaken in the next year 2011
• A collection of methodological papers on nowcasting and imputation is expected to be published.
• Further work will be carried out in implementation of SDMX for data exchange with OECD and other international organizations.
• A number of technical assistance projects for industrial capacity building in developing countries will be undertaken.
2.3 Business statistics (Voorburg Group)
• The objective of the Voorburg Group is to establish an internationally comparable methodology for measuring the constant price outputs of the service industries. The focus of the Group is to develop concepts, methods and best practices in the area of services. The Group has contributed over the years to building up and sharing a considerable and growing body of knowledge on Service Sector statistics. It has promoted international cooperation in the development of standards and assisted in resolving statistical and measurement challenges in the Services Sector.
Ongoing Methodological Work Plan
• In the last few years, the Voorburg Group has adopted a more structured approach in terms of its work plan and proceedings, in order to produce more concrete deliverables. In acknowledging the parallel and equally important development of turnover (output measures), prices and classifications, the Group has made an explicit effort to better balance its agenda among these three major areas. This new orientation was initially reflected in the 2006 meeting agenda and has continued in 2008, 2009 and 2010, contributing to the great success of these meetings.
What was accomplished in 2010 and what is planned for 2011?
At the 2010 meeting, the following Industry/Industry Groups were selected for mini-presentations:
1. Accommodations and Food Services;
2. Distributive Trades;
3. Cleaning and Facilities Services;
4. Research and Development.
A special Mini-Presentation was also included on Reference Rates and Negative Prices for Banking and Credit.
For 2011, the following Industry/Industry Groups have been selected for mini-presentations:
1. Technical Testing;
2. Insurance/Other Financial Intermediation (Except Life Insurance);
3. Waste Management/Waste Treatment;
4. Maintenance and Repair of Motor Vehicles.
Sector Papers
At the 2010 meeting, the following sectors were presented and adopted:
1. Rail Transportation - Passenger;
2. Rail Transportation - Freight;
3. Water Transportation.
At the 2011 meeting, the following 4 sector papers will be presented:
1. Banking and Credit: Reference Rates and Negative Prices;
2. Adjusting Quality Change (with emphasis on Airline Quality Change and Advertising);
3. Accommodation and Food Services;
4. Cleaning and Facilities Services.
Revisited Sector papers
The 2010 meeting revisited the following industry groups:
1. Legal Services;
2. Warehouse and Storage;
3. Courier Activities.
No revisited sector papers are planned for the 2011 meeting. However, an ambitious agenda has been proposed. The meeting will include sessions on cross-cutting topics, including Distributive Trades, Manufacturing Services, and Research and Development.
And, in addition to its work on the Mini-presentations and Sector Papers, the Group will continue to obtain and disseminate country report information on the industry/industry groups to be covered next year.
Looking Beyond 2011
Potential Sectors:
Designation of possible Industries and Assignments for Voorburg Group 2012:
Maintenance and Repair Services, Except Maintenance and Repair of Motor Vehicles; Publishing Industries; and Utility Services, among possibly others.
Sector papers:
Technical Testing, Insurance/Other Financial Intermediation (Except Life Insurance), Waste Management/Waste Treatment, and Maintenance and Repair of Motor Vehicles.
Meeting in 2011:
• The next annual meeting of the Voorburg group is tentatively scheduled for September 19th to 23rd , 2011 in Newport, U.K.
New website:
All the papers from the previous meetings of the Voorburg Group, going back to 1987, can be searched through our new website at: www.voorburggroup.org. This website has been redesigned and expanded to provide additional information.
2.3 Business statistics (World Bank)
Business statistics
• Doing Business
The World Bank/International Finance Corporation's Doing Business database provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement. The Doing Business indicators are comparable across 183 economies. They indicate the regulatory costs of business and can be used to analyze specific regulations that enhance or constrain investment, productivity and growth. Topics include: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and closing a business. See the Doing Business website: http://www.doingbusiness.org/ or from the Open Data site at http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/doing-business-database.
• Enterprise Surveys
The World Bank collects data on the business environment in 125 countries based on surveys of more than 100,000 firms. The surveys provide indicators of firm productivity and performance. Topics include: regulations and taxes, permits and licenses, corruption, crime, informal sector, gender, finance, infrastructure, innovation, trade, and work force. See the Enterprise survey website: http://www.enterprisesurveys.org.
• Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI)
The PPI Project Database has data on more than 4,600 projects in 137 low- and middle-income countries. The database is the leading source of PPI trends in the developing world, covering projects in the energy, telecommunications, transport, and water and sewerage. See the PPI database: http://ppi.worldbank.org/.
2.4 Sectoral statistics (CIS-STAT)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (ECB)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (Eurostat)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (FAO)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (ILO)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (IMF)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (OECD)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (UN Statistics Division)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (UNCTAD)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (UNECE TIM)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (UNECE TRA)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (World Bank)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4 Sectoral statistics (World Tourism Organisation)
2.1 Macroeconomic statistics
2.4.1 Agriculture, forestry, fisheries (OECD)
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook
To provide an annual update of statistical information and projections by country for OECD members, the OECD area, selected non-member countries, other developing and least developed countries and regional and world aggregates, of supply and use balances for cereals, oilseeds, biofuels, sugar, meats and dairy products up to 2020.
Objectives and outputs
To maintain a database with detailed supply and use information for most temperate zone agricultural commodities. The tables provide detailed information for production, consumption, trade, stocks and prices in OECD countries and a large number of other countries including China, Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Russia and other CIS independent states and many smaller countries and regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Most series cover the period from 1970 to the most current year and include updated annual projections for up to ten years in the future.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
South Africa
The Agricultural Commodities Database
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The main change in 2011 is a full review of the parameters, coefficients and equations in several of the key country modules of the Aglink-Cosimo model used to generate long term projections.
Producer and Consumer Support Estimates in OECD Countries and selected economies
To collect, process, evaluate and publish data on support to agriculture in OECD countries. The activity also provides staff with a database for various research and analysis activities of the Directorate. This is a joint activity between the "Agricultural Policies and Environment", the "Development" and the "Policies and Trade in Agriculture" Divisions of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate.
Objectives and outputs
To update the Producer and Consumer Support Estimate annual database and to calculate the various indicators of support to agriculture. The data are used to evaluate agricultural and other policies in OECD countries, mainly in the annual Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries Report, which is reviewed and approved by the Working Party on Agricultural Policies and Markets.
The data collected and the method used to calculate the indicators of support are reviewed both internally, and externally by the Working Party on Agricultural Policies and Markets, on an annual basis. These review processes improve the data quality as well as the methodology used in the calculations.
In this context, a new classification of the component parts of the support estimates was implemented from the 2007 Agricultural Policies in OECD countries Monitoring and Evaluation report. The database was extended to cover the new member countries in 2009 and 2010. A user friendly tool is being developed on the website for greater availability of the quantitative and analytical information to the public.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The 2011 report will integrate the former OECD countries report and the Emerging economies report in one single publication.
The major changes consist in the addition of new member countries as well as the integration in the 2011 report of selected non-member economies.
A new tool is being designed on the web site for improved dissemination of statistical information.
Review of Fisheries in OECD Countries - 2011
To collect and present data for the publication Review of Fisheries. To provide staff, and other potential users, with a database for research and analysis purposes. The latter applies to the Policy Reviews as well as other activities of the Division. To provide other Directorates with data on fisheries resources.
Objectives and outputs
The principal purpose is to collect and make available data on a consistent basis among member countries (and observers) of statistics relevant to fisheries i.e. landings (harvest) and processing, fleet, fishers, employment, trade (via the ITS database), aquaculture and government financial transfers. The data are used nationally, principally for reporting purposes and internationally (e.g. OECD), for analytical purposes. Data also serve as reference for other international organisations and as a means for cross-checking and reconciling information from national sources.
Questionnaires and tables are sent (annually) to national correspondents following discussion and approval by the Committee for Fisheries. Data are collected and disseminated in the Review of Fisheries Statistics. Data published are also accessible via the public fisheries web site and more recent series through the Committee Web Site. At the international level co-ordination takes place among agencies involved in fisheries statistical programmes through the Co-ordinated Working Party (CWP) on Fisheries Statistics. The OECD is in close co-operation with the FAO and EUROSTAT in the collection of fisheries data. This is done, inter alia, with a view to avoid overlapping activities.
The data collected (and the procedures) are reviewed by the Committee for Fisheries on an annual basis. Internationally, improvements are carried out through the CWP.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Chinese Taipei, Russian Federation, Thailand
Review of Fisheries in OECD Countries
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Continued improvements in metadata and comparison possibilities across member countries. The Government Financial Transfer (GFT) data are now included in the database. Data are now available to the public via the fisheries web site. Chinese Taipei and Thailand have been included since 2006. A major overhaul of the database took place in 2005.
2.4.1 Agriculture, forestry, fisheries (UNECE TIM)
Activity 11.1: Collection, processing and dissemination of forest sector statistics
Description and objectives
Collection and dissemination of data on forest resources, production and trade of forest products, and indicators of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
Activities and output
• Provide timely and relevant forest statistics, including data on forest resources, production and trade of forest products, wood energy and indicators of SFM.
• Collect and disseminate data on production and trade of forest products, through the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ), in cooperation with FAO, Eurostat and International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).
• Work on European Forest Outlook Study to collect, review and prepare data for inclusion in models (EFI, Alterra, Hamburg University).
• Data collection/data management:
- Qualitative and quantitative indicators on sustainable forest management for next State of Europe's Forests (SoEF);
- Work with International Data Providers (IMF, Eurostat, ILO) to locate and use data for SoEF;
- Forest Products Statistics, including prices of forest products;
- Wood Balance.
• Dissemination of statistical products:
- Timber Committee's website: http://timber.unece.org/index.php?id=84 in Excel, PDF and HTML formats;
- CD-ROMs;
- On-line data on "State of Forest and Sustainable Forest Management in Europe 2007" available through the UNECE Statistical Database;
- FRA 2010 results to official meetings, contacts in countries, other fora;
- Joint Wood Energy Enquiry (JWEE) to energy and forest sector, including database and analysis, including at meetings;
- Publications, e.g. the Forest Products Annual Market Review;
- Reports to governing bodies, particularly the Joint Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics.
Organizations and groups involved
UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Sustainable Forest Management and the Team on Forest Sector Outlook
International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO)
Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)
Activity 11.2: Analytical and methodological work on forest sector statistics
Description and objectives
Analytical and methodological studies on different issues in the area of forest sector statistics, including Forest Sector Country Profiles. Methodological improvements in areas such as forest resource assessment and wood balances. Analysis of forest resources, sustainability of forest management, and forest products markets.
Activities and output
Analytical products:
• UNECE regional input to the global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) 2010 (to be published by FAO);
• Forest Products Annual Market Review, published as a Study Paper;
• Forest Sector Country profiles, published as Discussion Papers;
• Outlook Study.
Methodological work:
• Activities by the Team of Specialists on Eastern Europe on forest resources and sustainable forest management, on forest products markets and marketing, on policies and institutions.
• Discussions with Member States at the Joint FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics on methodological issues.
• Create and maintain terms and definitions, specifications and classifications in consultation with partners and stakeholders, in particular for the FRA.
• Provide inputs to international statistical classifications, e.g. Harmonised System, International Standard Industrial Classification.
• Establish a concept of National Wood Resource Balance.
• Pursue conversion factor work to improve understanding of relationships between products and standing timber.
• Develop methodology and definitions for Joint Wood Energy Enquiry with IEA, FAO and Eurostat.
• Cooperate with Joint Research Centre (JRC) which is carrying out work in real-time analysis of fires and increasing use of national forest inventory information.
• Organization of the meetings of the Joint FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics (annual sessions, intergovernmental, usually in March).
• Organisation of the annual meetings of the Inter-secretariat Working Group on Forest Sector Statistics (membership: UNECE, FAO, Eurostat, ITTO, OECD, EEA, CEC).
• Organisation of the meetings of the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Forest Policies and Institutions (membership: UNECE, FAO, MCPFE).
• Organisation of the meetings of the Teams of Specialists.
Organizations and groups involved
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
European Environment Agency
International Energy Agency
Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)
Activity 11.3: Technical cooperation on forest sector statistics
Description and objectives
Capacity building in member countries through workshops and meetings of national correspondents, and through the guidelines for the implementation of international projects, like Forest Resource Assessment (FRA).
Activities and output
• Work with member countries through Team of Specialists to complete replies to State of Europe's Forests report.
Organizations and groups involved
European Environment Agency
Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE).
2.4.2 Energy (CIS-STAT)
Electricity Statistics
Ongoing work:
Collection, processing and publication of data:
• Monthly: on the production of electric energy;
• Yearly: on the production of electric energy by kind of power stations; the electric-power balance of individual Commonwealth countries; forecasts of electric energy production.
2.4.2 Energy (UN Statistics Division)
Energy Statistics
Ongoing work:
• UNSD continues to maintain the most comprehensive database of worldwide energy statistics (production, trade, stock changes, bunkers and consumption) covering more than 200 countries and areas and time series from 1950;
• UNSD continues to publish the Energy Statistics Yearbook and the Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles on an annual basis;
• Data sharing arrangements between UNSD and IEA/OECD continue to reduce the data collection burden.
Activities for 2011:
• Preparation of the Energy Statistics Compilers Manual (ESCM) which provides practical guidance in the implementation of IRES, including collection of country practices;
• Organization of training workshops for developing countries;
• Update and improvement of the UN Energy Statistics Database, including collection, processing and dissemination arrangements for both data and metadata according to the recommendations provided in IRES;
• Work on improving transparency of oil statistics in collaboration with other international organizations active in this area (APERC, Eurostat, IAE/OECD, OLADE, OPEC and IEFS) through the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI);
• Further development of the energy statistics web-site.
2.4.3 Mining, manufacturing, construction (OECD)
To meet the mandate of the OECD Steel Committee and provide the statistical background needed for policy discussions in the Committee. Statistics are also produced for two publications, one on the iron and steel market and the other on steelmaking capacity in non-OECD economies.
Objectives and outputs
To provide participants of the Steel Committee with a broad range of information on the world steel industry and related raw material markets in order to enhance transparency and facilitate discussion by member and non-member economies on challenging policy issues facing the industry. More specifically, the statistical work includes gathering data on steel supply (capacity, production), demand, prices, trade, employment, and trade policy measures, in addition to market data on raw materials used in steelmaking (iron ore, coal, coke, ferrous scrap, and ferroalloys).
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Ukraine
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The statistical work carried out to support the efforts of the OECD Steel Committee will be enhanced through cooperation with steel statistical providers from around the world.
2.4.4 Transport (CIS-STAT)
Transport Statistics
Ongoing work
• Collection, processing, analysis and publication of transport data for the Commonwealth countries:
- Monthly: carriage of goods and passengers, cargo and passenger volumes for all modes of transport, and freight carried on main railway lines by cargo type.
- Yearly: availability of units of rolling stock by purpose, length of railway lines in operation by category (as of the end of the year).
• Preparation of analytical reports on the operation of transport.
2.4.4 Transport statistics (UNCTAD)
Maritime Transport
Ongoing work:
• Annual data on the world merchandise fleet by flag of registration and type of ship. The statistics are released in the UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics, on-line under UNCTADstat, and in the annual Review of Maritime Transport.
• The annual UNCTAD Liner Shipping Connectivity Index, by country. The statistics are released in the UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics, on-line under UNCTADstat, and in the annual Review of Maritime Transport.
• Annual data on the world merchandise fleet by country of ownership for the 35 largest vessel-owning countries, included each year in the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport.
• Annual containerized port traffic, by country, included each year in the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport.
• Annual World Seaborne Trade, by country groupings, included each year in the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport.
• Annual and for some time series quarterly data on vessel prices, orders, and demolitions, published annually in the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport.
2.4.4 Transport statistics (UNECE TRA)
Activity 12.1: Collection, processing and dissemination of transport statistics
Description and objectives
Collection and compilation of transport statistics, including data on motor traffic, road traffic accidents and rail traffic. Development and maintenance of the on-line UNECE Transport Statistics Database in order to maintain good quality, relevant, user friendly and timely transport statistics.
Activities and output
• Provide good quality, relevant, user friendly and timely transport statistics.
• Regular collections and dissemination of transport statistics, in cooperation with International Transport Forum and Eurostat, including data on motor traffic, road traffic accidents and rail traffic.
• Use of PC-Axis for disseminating data collected via the regular questionnaires.
Data collection
• Common questionnaire for the Annual Bulletin of Transport Statistics (with International Transport Forum and Eurostat).
• Addition of supplementary chapters to the Common Questionnaire for Transport Statistics (gas transport via pipelines, transport by bus and coach).
• Questionnaire on Road Traffic Accident Statistics (with International Transport Forum).
• Continue to streamline data collection procedures in the field of transport and road traffic safety and to review user needs on a permanent basis, including those of other UNECE inter-governmental bodies.
• Target solutions to improve the collection of statistics in problematic areas, as indicators of sustainable transport, including, but not limited to the following items:
- Statistics on road traffic (vehicle-km);
- Statistics on the transportation by buses and coaches;
- Statistics on the transport of dangerous goods;
- Statistics on transport of gas through pipelines;
- Statistics on transport to and from seaports and inland waterways ports (hinterland connections);
- Statistics on high speed rail transport.
Dissemination - Publications (online)
• Annual Bulletin of Transport Statistics (jointly with International Transport Forum and Eurostat).
• Statistics of Road Traffic Accidents in Europe and North America, annual publication.
• Maps and data on E-Road Traffic Census.
• Maps and data on E-Rail Traffic Census.
• "Flyer(s)" on selected transport indicators.
• Dissemination of main transport data through the online UNECE Statistical Database.
Organizations and groups involved
International Transport Forum
EC (DG MOVE, Eurostat, ERA)
Central Commissions for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR)
Danube Commission.
Activity 12.2: Methodological work in transport statistics
Description and objectives
Development of appropriate and common methodologies and terminology for the harmonization of statistics to promote the availability of comprehensive, timely and reliable statistics for sustainable transport planning and analysis and to improve international comparability of transport statistics. The work includes methodologies for the collection and compilation of statistics on road, rail, inland waterway, pipeline and combined transport, on road traffic accidents and indicators of sustainable transport. It is done in cooperation and coordination with other UNECE bodies and related international organizations.
Activities and output
Improved international comparability of transport statistics
• Classification system for transport statistics of goods (NST 2007).
• Maintain the Glossary of transport statistics and recommendations to Governments on motor traffic and rail traffic censuses in cooperation with International Transport Forum and Eurostat. The Glossary of transport statistics (4th edition, prepared jointly with the International Transport Forum and Eurostat) will be continuously updated.
• Results of the 2010 E-road and E-rail censuses based on the relevant resolutions adopted by the Inland Transport Committee.
Pilot questionnaires
- Pilot questionnaire on transport statistics of gas through pipelines (with International Transport Forum and Eurostat) adopted in 2010 to be circulated and its results to be reviewed.
- Pilot questionnaire on road traffic performance to be circulated at a pan-European level.
- Pilot questionnaire on passenger accessibility to rail systems in cooperation with European Railway Agency (ERA).
Publication (online)
• Handbook on transport statistics by buses and coaches.
• Annual Meeting of the Working Party on Transport Statistics (WP.6) (Geneva, 8-10 June 2011).
• Inter-secretariat Working Group on Transport Statistics (UNECE, International Transport Forum and Eurostat). Three meetings per year, with the location rotating between Geneva, Paris and Luxembourg.
• Workshop(s) on how to improve data collection for certain countries by the use of the online common questionnaire.
• Workshop(s) for member States which are not yet collecting statistics on transport of dangerous goods.
Organizations and groups involved
International Transport Forum
EC (DG MOVE, Eurostat, ERA)
Central Commissions for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR)
Danube Commission
2.4.4 Transport (OECD)
Annual Transport Statistics
To provide annual transport information presenting disaggregated statistical data in the transport sector.
Objectives and outputs
Data are collected in a harmonised way to facilitate comparisons between modes of transport and between countries by means of the Common Questionnaire developed jointly between three international organisations: Eurostat, ITF and UNECE.
Data cover topics such as investment, infrastructure, rolling stock, human resources, traffic and energy consumption for different inland transport modes.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Transport Statistics - Common Questionnaire
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
ITF is developing a corporate database to integrate the information collected by means of the Common Questionnaire. The corporate database is planned to be ready towards the end of 2011.
Data collection:
Upgraded version of the WEB questionnaire
International Database of Taxes and Changes for Road Freight Transport
To provide indicators for efficiency and impact on competition of taxes and charges for transport in order to allow international comparisons.
Objectives and outputs
The final report provides a framework for international comparisons and discusses the economic principles for efficient systems of taxation. It provides a basis for addressing the questions "what is the right level for transport taxes" and "what kinds of charges should be used".
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
No major changes.
Investment in Transport Infrastructure
To provide an annual update of statistical information on transport infrastructure investment, for all ITF countries, on total gross investment and maintenance expenditure.
Objectives and outputs
After processing the data, quality checks were carried out to select reliable time series to be made available on the web site along with a short analysis of trends.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine
Investment in Transport Infrastructure
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Data quality was improved by using more appropriated deflators when available.
Quarterly Transport Statistics
To provide harmonised information on selected basic quarterly indicators in order to compare the latest inland transport trends between countries.
Objectives and outputs
To publish results every three months on the ITF web site, on a country by country basis with 4-5 months lag maximum (data for the first quarter is collected in June and published in July). Available series cover good transport in T-km, passenger transport in P-Km, road traffic in V-Km, brand new vehicles registration, car fuel consumption, road fatalities, imports and exports at current prices and industrial production.
Country by country data tables are available, as well as graphs showing trends for both individual countries and selected groups of countries.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine
Short-term trends survey
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Starting with the publication of the 2nd quarter of 2009 results, an analytical report based on seasonally adjusted data is published each quarter published with the data on the ITF WEB site.
Information on air and maritime transport are integrated in the analysis to provide a global view on the transport activity.
Transport Sector Trends Analysis
To provide a first analysis of both passenger and freight transport trends, as well as road accident trends. A short list of selected indicators are collected for that purpose.
Objectives and outputs
To publish an analysis of the transport situation in different geographical regions. The publication also gives the latest statistics on the situation of the transport market in ITF countries and presents charts which help to show what changes have occurred since 1970.
Because it is published earlier than any other comparable study, this report provides first-hand figures about passenger and freight transport as well as road accidents.
Since 2008 the publication also includes information on investment and maintenance expenses in transport infrastructures.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine
Trends in the Transport Sector - Leaflet
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The publication covers all transport modes including maritime and air as well as investment and maintenance expenses on transport infrastructures.
2.4.4 Transport (UN Statistics Division)
Ongoing work:
Compilation of statistical series on international maritime transport and registration of new motor vehicles for dissemination in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (MBS) and the MBS Online; compilation of statistical series on civil aviation for dissemination in both the MBS and the UN Statistical Yearbook.
2.4.5 Tourism (CIS-STAT)
Tourism Statistics
Ongoing work:
In statistical study of tourism over the period 2011 (on a yearly basis):
• Collection, processing, and publication of data on tourism between the Commonwealth countries.
• Preparation of analytic reports on international tourism in selected CIS countries.
2.4.5 Tourism (ILO)
Tourism Statistics
• On the basis of an agreement which sets the framework for cooperation, the ILO and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) continue collaborating in the area of employment and decent work in tourism. The agreement was approved by the ILO Governing Body at its 301st Session (March 2008) and ratified by the General Assembly of the UNWTO. Prior to the agreement, a new chapter on employment in the tourism industries was prepared and included in the 2008 International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics.
• The agreement is geared towards (a) improvement of reliability of data on employment in the tourism industries; (b) setting up and testing of a core set of decent work statistical indicators for measuring progress towards decent work in the tourism industries; (c) development of international guidelines on best practices of measuring employment in the tourism industries.
• In line with the agreement, a joint ILO/UNWTO publication entitled Technical Guide on Best Practices of Measuring Employment in the Tourism Industries will be prepared and published in 2011.
2.4.5 Tourism (OECD)
To meet the 2007-2011 Mandate of the Tourism Committee: a) improve the measurement of tourism services in OECD economies by addressing government and industry information needs and promoting the tourism satellite account; b) contribute to the dissemination of data on tourism economics and to a more effective use of such data for business and policy analysis and decision-making processes; and c) work in complementarity with other international organisations.
Objectives and outputs
In 2011, the third edition of "OECD Tourism trends and policies 2012" will be prepared. It will contain augmented statistical data on member and selected non-member countries. These data will be collected by two methods: a questionnaire will be addressed to countries; data extracted from OECD data bases. On the other hand, efforts will be made towards the dissemination of data and analysis on tourism economics at national and local levels. Special efforts will tend to promote the use of Tourism Satellite Account to public and private tourism stakeholders. In 2011, the activity on "Evaluating and Measuring Competitiveness in Tourism" will aim to identify a set of core/key indicators for measuring the overall performance and competitiveness of a country in tourism. it will also include a pilot testing with voluntary countries.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa
2.4.5 Tourism (World Tourism Organisation)
Tourism Statistics
The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Statistics Department collects, analyzes, publishes, standardizes and improves tourism statistics, and promotes the integration of these statistics within the sphere of the United Nations system.
Objective of the Department of Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account
To foster the comparability of tourism statistics and the macroeconomic analysis of tourism activities by means of internationally agreed standards, and to design the required guidance, initiatives and tools (e.g. TSA) for their implementation.
Programme of work 2010-2011
1) Compilation guidance for implementing the new IRTS 2008, and reinforcement of international comparability of basic tourism statistical data;
2) Dissemination of TSA data and fostering the macroeconomic analysis of tourism;
3) Technical assistance for Member States on tourism statistics and TSA;
4) Cooperation on statistics within the UN System.
Economic statistics meetings
UNWTO Committee on Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Madrid, UNWTO headquarters
Link: http://www.unwto.org/statistics/index.htm?q=en/statistics
From: 27 January 2011 To: 28 January 2011
Expert Group on tourism statistics meeting (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Brazil
Description: meeting on tourism statistics
Dates: 2nd week of May 2011
WTO Regional Workshops (joint initiatives with UN agencies and IIOO)
Location: Maldives
Description: WTO regional workshop
Dates: February 2011
Capacity-building Programme on Tourism Statistics for Asia (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Philippines
Description: 2nd workshop of Statistics Capacity-building Programme
Dates: end of June
Capacity-building Programme on Tourism Statistics for Asia (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Description: 3rd workshop plus Regional Seminar
Dates: September 2011
Statistics Capacity-building Programme for Russian-speaking European countries (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Azerbaijan
Description 1st workshop of Statistics Capacity-building Programme
Dates: end of September
Statistics Capacity-building Programme for French-speaking African countries (World Tourism Organisation)
Location: Africa
Description: 1st workshop of Statistics Capacity-building Programme
Dates: to be determined
2.4.6 Banking, insurance, financial statistics (CIS-STAT)
Financial Statistics
Ongoing work:
Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data over the period 2011-2012 (monthly, quarterly, yearly):
• Banking statistics (credit extended, deposits of population, emission of money, interest rates on credits, credit indebtedness, number of credit organizations, investments, securities and the currency market).
• Statistics relating to insurance activity.
• Assistance to Commonwealth countries in improving financial statistics, including the formulation of proposals to improve statistical reporting, adaptation of international standards in statistics relating to money in circulation and credit to national circumstances in the organisation of statistics in these countries, and formulation of recommendations on the application of new methods and standards.
2.4.6 Banking, insurance, financial statistics (IMF)
Monetary and Financial Statistics and Financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs)
• The IMF provides technical assistance in monetary and financial statistics to member countries through a variety of venues, including staff missions to individual countries. Each year, the IMF organizes courses on monetary and financial statistics at regional training centers.
• The IMF collects monetary and financial statistics on member countries and disseminates most important data in the International Financial Statistics (IFS) and the Data Standard Bulletin Board (DSBB), as well as providing hyperlinks to selected individual country data systems. The monthly edition of IFS is available to subscribers on the Internet and the complete searchable IFS database has become available since January 2002. As well, the data are available on CD-ROM.
• The quarterly IFS Supplement on Monetary and Financial Statistics, which was introduced in September 2006 to disseminate monetary and financial statistics for countries that report data using the standardized report forms (SRFs) in accordance with the MFSM was discontinued in 2009 and its output consolidated within the main IFS publication. SRFs provide a substantial portion of the information needed for the IMF's balance sheet analysis. Full migration to SRF-based reporting is expected to be completed by mid-2012.
• The IMF's Compilation Guide on Financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs), which covers not only the financial soundness of banks but also other institutional sectors, was published as an official IMF document in 2006. To support and coordinate efforts by national authorities to compile cross-country comparable FSIs, the IMF conducted a coordinated compilation exercise (CCE) for FSIs with 62 countries participating on a voluntary basis. The first public release of regular reported data and metadata took place in July 2009. Efforts are now concentrated on updating the reported data, disseminating historical data, and increasing the number of reporting countries.
• Training courses on FSIs are offered through the IMF-sponsored regional training centers.
• The IMF collaborates with the ECB to source monetary and financial statistics for EU and pre-in countries through a "gateway" arrangement that minimizes reporting burdens on countries.
• In July 2007, the Working Group on Securities Databases (WGSD), originally established in 1999, was reconvened in response to various international initiatives and recommendations to improve information on securities markets such as those from the Committee on the Global Financial System and Finance Ministers of the G-8. The WGSD is chaired by the IMF and includes the Bank for International Settlements, the European Central Bank, and the World Bank as members. Selected experts from national central banks, who have participated actively in various international groups that have identified the need to improve data on securities markets, were also invited to contribute to the deliberations of the WGSD. The WGSD agreed to produce a Handbook on Securities Statistics, which is the first publication of its kind to focus exclusively on securities statistics. Part 1 of the Handbook, which focuses on debt securities issues, was published in May 2009 on the IMF website. Part II of the Handbook, dealing with securities statistics holdings, was published on the IMF website in September 2010.
2.4.6 Banking, insurance, financial statistics (OECD)
Bank Profitability - Financial Statements of Banks
To compile comprehensive statistics based on financial statements and balance sheets of banks in order to analyse the developments in the profitability of the banking sector of OECD countries.
To provide detailed methodological country notes on the institutional and geographical coverage, the degree of consolidation, the structure of the banking system, the various activities of the banks covered, specific information on individual items, the sources of the data.
Objectives and outputs
The database and publication "Bank Profitability" provide statistical and methodological information to assess the changes in the state of health of national banking systems of OECD countries. They include data on the income statements and balance sheets of a number of bank groupings as well as on the structure of the national financial systems. The statistics relate to all institutions which conduct ordinary banking business, i.e. institutions which primarily take deposits from the public at large and provide finance for a wide range of purposes.
Banking indicators calculated on the basis of the primary data are also provided.
The database has been updated up to 2009 for all countries which were able to provide these data, which is a great improvement in timeliness.
Methodological notes complementing the data have been revised.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Russian Federation
Bank Profitability - Financial Statements of Banks
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Without new resources allocated to the Financial Statistics team, the management of Bank Profitability is suspended in 2011.
Fast-track data collection from largest pension funds worldwide
The main goal of this exercise is to help policymakers gain a better understanding of investment strategies and risk management conducted by some of the world's leading pension funds. Further, the study will attempt to explain the extent to which differences in liability structures and country-specific regulation explain differences in the management style of funds.
Objectives and outputs
The questionnaire intends to collect quantitative and detailed qualitative information on investment rate of return, asset allocation, derivatives and operating costs.
2010, 6 pension funds in Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands participated in the study.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Coordination by pension funds' regulators will be encouraged to increase sample size and geographical coverage.
Feasibility study of estimating coverage, contributions and benefits from privately managed pensions
The main goal of this research is to assess publicly available data sources and to examine ways and means to make better use of available administrative data and micro datasets at national and international levels in order to be able to estimate levels of private pension coverage, contributions and benefits.
Objectives and outputs
This research consists of:
• Identifying and comparing publicly available administrative, survey or micro datasets in all EU Member states and selected non-EU OECD countries from which it could be envisaged to calculate or estimate the selected list of indicators (i.e., pertaining to coverage, contributions and benefits by socio-economic status);
• Identifying the variables that exist in those datasets that allow calculation or estimation of selected indicators and examining the level of disaggregation of the information on private pension plans and possible variations in definition, timeliness and scope;
• Examining existing exercises to reconcile macro and micro data;
• Identifying possible methodological limitations that could jeopardise data quality;
• Developing further contacts with the relevant international and national entities (e.g. Eurostat, National Statistical Offices, etc.) in order to facilitate data acquisition and quality checks;
• Producing the selected indicators for 4 selected countries.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania,
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
In 2010, the research mainly focused on identifying and comparing publicly available administrative, survey or micro datasets in all EU Member states and selected non-EU OECD countries from which it could be envisaged to calculate or estimate the selected list of indicators. In 2011 (January-June), the study will mainly consist of producing the selected indicators for four countries and examining existing exercises to reconcile macro and micro data.
In an extension of the project, the selected indicators will be produced for four additional countries (January-December).
Monitoring of Insurance Markets: Global Insurance Statistics
The recent financial market turmoil and rapid changes in financial markets and financial systems are creating new challenges for financial statistics. The increased complexity and potential opacity of financial sector operations resulting from globalisation and rapid innovation call for further transparency, better and more comprehensive data, and an enhanced capacity to analyse this data.
With a view to contributing to the development of macro-overview of the insurance market, the current standard questionnaire allows to collect key aggregate statistics relating to premium volume, balance sheet and income statement items (e.g., total assets, shareholder equity, technical provisions, net income), and portfolio investments.
Objectives and outputs
In the new framework of insurance statistics, the questionnaire is divided into two parts. The first part includes data on premium and key variables pertaining to the financial strength and profitability of the insurance sector. Data for this first part are collected during the first half of the year.
The second part includes more detailed information on premiums, claims, commissions and expenses, as well as information on reinsurers. Data for this second part are collected during the second half of the year.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Russian Federation, Singapore
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Following the success of the 2010 data collection exercise, the IPPC has decided to pursue its implementation on an ongoing basis.
Further improvements foreseen within the framework of this project will include:
• Accelerating the collection of statistics to enhance timeliness;
• Expanding the current compact set of core statistics and indicators to include additional indicators;
• Organisation of a Global Seminar on Insurance Statistics in Asia. The participation of selected additional countries in the regions will be sought at this occasion;
• Seeking greater synergy between existing OECD insurance and pension statistical activities;
• To provide economic globalisation indicators of insurance statistics to analyse and measure the market share of foreign companies in the global market;
• To develop further relationship with accession countries to review methodological aspects and general issues relating to the insurance statistics' framework and further improve data quality.
Pension Monitoring
In order to ensure that pension reforms are both financially and socially sustainable, it is essential to monitor the outcomes of changes in pension system parameters and rules. The activity uses a microeconomic approach which is particularly suitable for international comparison of pension policies. Prospective individual benefit entitlements from mandatory pension arrangements are modelled for full-career workers at different earnings levels. The framework uses the same economic assumptions for all countries and thereby abstracts from non-pension factors, which often distort international comparisons of pension systems.
Objectives and outputs
To monitor pension systems and pension policies in OECD countries, to collect, up-date and analyse information on pension system rules and parameters and to model prospective pension entitlements for standard retirement, early retirement and interrupted careers. The output of this activity is published in regularly updated reports.
The fourth edition of Pensions at a Glance will be published in early 2011. The report includes updates of the models with 2008 parameters, including special chapters covering pension ages, life expectancy, incentives to retire and older workers.
In 2010:
- Key data were disseminated in OECD.Stat via http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ELSPENSIONS
- An on-line Pension calculator was updated, via http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,3343,en_2649_34757_43024076_1_1_1_1,00.html
- Most indicators related to pensions are available on-line in MS-Excel format via www.oecd.org/els/social/pensions/PAG
The fifth edition of Pensions at a Glance will be published in 2012. The report will include updates of the models with 2010 parameters.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa
Pension monitoring database
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The range of countries covered under the Pensions at a Glance umbrella is constantly expanding with an update for PaG Asia due in early 2011 and work will commence on the LAC region with provisional results being available mid/late 2011. Further areas of analysis will concentrate on periods of career absence because of unemployment.
Data management:
The number of indicators covered in the data will be increased leading to the creation of a pensions database.
Monitoring of Private Pension Systems: Fast-track data collection
The collection of key infra-annual statistical information is meant to improve the timeliness of the release of the OECD funded pension statistics to the public and to other international organisations.
Objectives and outputs
The fast-track data collection allows to collect recent statistical data on the pension fund sector. Only key variables are collected, such as total assets, investment rates of return and funding/solvency levels for DB pension plans.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Bulgaria, Colombia, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Other, Romania, Thailand, Ukraine
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Together with the collection of statistical data, the fast-track questionnaire will include qualitative questions about the recent trends in the pension funds' sector, the calculation methodology for the regulatory funding ratios and the calculation methodology for the net investment income.
Data collection:
In 2011, countries will be invited to join qualitative information to the data, related to the recent trends in the pension funds' sector and to methodological issues.
Monitoring of Private Pension Systems: Public Pension Reserve Funds
Funding is growing in what have been traditionally exclusively PAYG-financed, social security systems. Funding in these systems takes the form of reserve funds, which in most cases are institutions with their own governing board and look like pension funds in many aspects.
The main goal of the statistical exercise on Public Pension Reserve Funds is to collect in-depth and comparable information on these funds, with a focus on assets, asset allocation, and performance.
Objectives and outputs
Since 2003, the OECD collects statistical information on Public Pension Reserve Funds. Between 2003 and 2008, data were collected through information publicly available on the internet. Since 2009, a statistical questionnaire has been developed and allows to collect more in-depth and comparable information on Public Pension Reserve Funds, which is released on a yearly basis in the newsletter Pension Markets in Focus.
Overview of private pension systems (methodological survey)
The yearly review of funded pension system at national level intends to provide a benchmarking tool to develop further the understanding of pension systems and their compliance with the OECD classification for funded pension plans and funds. It also provides information related to the statistical data coverage of the OECD Global Pension Statistics.
Objectives and outputs
This annual survey provides comprehensive detailed metadata for the users of funded pension statistics. The survey, based on a standard template, allows the compilation of comprehensive and detailed metadata individually for all OECD and some non-OECD countries. Standard information allows bilateral comparisons and provides, to a large extent, the underlying differences that explain the cross-country discrepancies in funded pension statistics. The survey also allows the monitoring of methodological improvements over time and provides valuable information on the compliance of systems with the OECD Classification of funded pension plans and funds.
Further reading: OECD (2005), Private Pensions: OECD Classification and Glossary, OECD, Paris.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Macedonia, Other, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Thailand
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
No major changes.
Financial Indicators
To capture in quantitative terms an important but heterogeneous and fast evolving area in globalisation of the financial markets and increased sophistication of the actors and activities in these markets.
Objectives and outputs
The Financial Indicators dataset contains financial statistics on six separate subjects: Monetary Aggregates, Interest Rates, Exchange Rates, Reserve Assets, International Trade, and Share Prices. In all cases considerable effort has been made to ensure that the data are internationally comparable across all countries presented and that all the subjects have good historical time-series' data to aid with analysis.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
None expected.
2.4.6 Banking, insurance, financial statistics (World Bank)
Financial Statistics
• The World Bank is involved in the effort to establish standards among international organizations relevant to Financial Statistics, through its active participation in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics is one of the interagency task forces endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission to co-ordinate work among the participating agencies to improve the quality, transparency, timeliness and availability of data on external debt and international reserve assets. The Task Force is chaired by the IMF and includes representatives from the BIS, ECB, EUROSTAT, OECD, UN, and the World Bank which have collaborated to produce these data.
• The World Bank's Financial Sector is creating and publishing a comprehensive database of national Financial Sector Development Indicators which includes key data on banking, equity markets, and bond markets.
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (CIS-STAT)
State Budget Income and Expenditure
Ongoing work:
Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data on State budget income and expenditure in the Commonwealth countries over the period 2011-2012 (quarterly and yearly).
• Preparation of analytical reports on financial situation in the Commonwealth countries.
• Assistance to the Commonwealth countries in improving financial statistics, including the formulation of proposals to improve statistical reporting and adapt international standards (especially in government finance statistics) to national circumstances in the organisation of statistics in these countries.
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (ECB)
• Continue improving the quality of quarterly data on euro area government deficit, debt and the deficit-debt adjustment.
• Continue improving the quality of annual government finance statistics and of the metadata information on revisions and deficit-debt adjustments.
• Carry out methodological work on the recording of the government interventions to support financial markets and institutions and their impact on the government deficit and debt figures.
• Compilation of euro area government employment schemes.
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (Eurostat)
Theme 2.04 Government finance statistics
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Assessment of debt and deficit data in the context of the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP);
• Annual non-financial government accounts (AGOV);
• Quarterly government accounts (QGOV).
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Revised Commission Regulation 479/2009;
• Extend geographical coverage of data collection for annual non-financial general government accounts (AGOV) to include candidate countries;
• Develop metadata and quality indicators for annual non-financial general government accounts (AGOV);
• Possible increase of derived indicators for annual non-financial general government accounts (AGOV) in order to improve the meaningfulness of source data.
• Carry out bi-annual assessment of debt and deficit data of Member States, and provide these data.
• Discuss selected methodological issues with Member States and provide bilateral advice.
• Carry out statistical assessment of Candidate Countries.
• Develop inventories of sources and methods for deficit and debt statistics.
• Carry out regular EDP dialogue missions to Member States.
• Complete the production and publication of detailed (COFOG -Classification of the Functions of Government - level II) data for government expenditure by function.
• Compilation, validation and final publication of annual non-financial general government accounts (AGOV) of the Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
• Data are received in the framework of the ESA95 Transmission Programme under:
- table 2: Main aggregates of general government;
- table 9: Detailed tax and social contribution receipts by type of tax and social contribution and receiving sub-sector + detailed list of taxes and social contributions according to national classification of taxes and social contributions (National Tax List/ NTL);
- table 11: General government expenditure by COFOG functions.
• Quarterly compilation and publication of quarterly government finance statistics data (QGOV: quarterly financial and non-financial accounts and quarterly debt data of government - ESA tables 25, 27 and 28).
• Assess the actual data reported by Member States as regards compliance with accounting roles, completeness, reliability, timeliness and consistency of the data.
• Development of tools to aid Member States' validation before data transmission.
2. Statistical work to be carried out by other DGs (including data collection from Member States) and/or Community Agencies
• DG TAXUD classifies tax revenues by economic function and calculates breakdown and implicit tax rates on consumption, labour, capital and environment.
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (ILO)
Social protection expenditure and revenues
Ongoing activities:
• The ILO Social Security Inquiry will continue collection of statistics on social security expenditure and financing; its methodological approach is compatible as far as possible with the SNA, the Eurostat-ESSPROS approach to social protection revenue and expenditure statistics, the OECD Social Protection Expenditure database and the IMF's 2001 Government Finance Statistics guidelines (see 1.6 for more details).
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (IMF)
Government Finance Statistics (GFS)
• Under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics (TFFS) the IMF developed a Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users. It is expected to be disseminated in February 2011. In addition, the IMF and WB launched the Quarterly Public Sector Debt Statistics Database in December 2010*. This covers currently 30 countries and will be expanded.
• The IMF's Government Finance Statistics Yearbook (GFSY) contains annual fiscal data for 'general government' plus subsectors for about 100 countries. It continues to be available in hardcopy and CD-ROM format. Monthly, quarterly, and annual fiscal statistics are published in the International Financial Statistics (IFS). The IFS includes high-frequency fiscal data for about 90 countries Particular attention is given to the availability and timeliness of fiscal data for G-20 economies.
• The IMF provides technical assistance in GFS to member countries through a variety of channels, including staff or expert missions to individual countries and long term advisors in the field. Each year, the IMF organizes GFS courses at headquarters and at regional centers and hands-on short workshops for high level officials (e.g. India, September 2010), and for mission chiefs and fiscal economists in the IMF.
• The IMF is phasing in the GFSM 2001 presentation for staff reports. The World Economic Outlook adopted the GFSM 2001 presentation in December 2009, and staff assist fiscal economists to adjust the fiscal sector files. Staff also participates in area department missions focusing on fiscal data reporting to the IMF.
• Work on updating the Government Finance Statistics Manual has begun. A Government Finance Statistics Advisory Committee has been established and will be discussing the main methodological areas for review, including the changes introduced in the 2008 System of National Accounts. The first meeting is planned for February 2011. A GFSM discussion forum for selected methodological issues is now available online.
• With support from the U.K. DFID, staff is developing a Compilation Guide for Developing Countries expected to be available for electronic distribution in 2011.
• Cooperation with international organizations continues. The IMF, World Bank, OECD, ECB, and Eurostat are developing a coordinated strategy for fiscal data presentation and collection. Cooperation with the International Public Sector Accounting Board (IPSASB) continues.
* The IMF/WB Quarterly Public Sector Database is available at: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/EXTQPUBSECDEBT/0,,menuPK:7404478~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:7404473,00.html
2.5 Government finance, fiscal and public sector statistics (OECD)
Central Government Debt Statistics
To provide an analytical tool primarily to government debt managers as well as to financial analysts including policy analysts, security analysts, commercial financial institutions, research analysts, etc. This work is carried out under the auspices of the Working Party on Government Debt Management.
The publication "Central Government Debt - Statistical Yearbook" provides annual statistics on central government debt instruments in the 34 OECD countries. The coverage of the data is limited to central government debt issuance; it excludes state and local government debt and social security funds. The main focus of the statistics is marketable debt instruments as well as duration and average term to maturity of domestic, foreign and total debt.
In addition, the publication provides individual country notes including methodological information such as a description of debt instruments and selling techniques in each country.
Objectives and outputs
In the 2011 edition of the statistical yearbook, 3 new OECD Member countries will be added: Estonia, Israel and Slovenia.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Central Government Debt Statistics
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Collection and publication of 2010 data.
Data collection:
2010 data and more historical data for the recent OECD Member countries (Chile, Estonia, Israel, Slovenia).
Fiscal Relations Across Levels of Government
To collect data to support the activities of the Network on Fiscal Relations across Levels of Government. This includes data on sub national governments' discretion over own revenues and expenditures, on the design of local taxes, on intergovernmental transfers, on fiscal equalisation, on indicators of decentralisation, and on macroeconomic management of sub-central finance.
Objectives and outputs
Collection of two datasets:
• Indicators of tax autonomy of sub-central governments
• Indicators of the composition of intergovernmental grants
Fiscal decentralisation
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
More data will be available on OECD.stat
Monitoring of Private Pension Systems: Global Pension Statistics
Launched in 2002 this exercise provides a unique source of comparable statistics and indicators of funded pension plan systems from an international perspective and also facilitates cross-country comparisons of the most up-to-date statistics and indicators on key aspects of funded retirement systems across OECD and non-OECD countries. It aims to provide information about the main trends and features of funded pension plan systems in a clear and concise format.
Objectives and outputs
It aims to provide in a compact manner a comparative overview of the importance and structure of private and funded pension systems across OECD and non-OECD countries using a selected set of statistics and indicators, compiled on an on-going basis together with its companion product dedicated to the description and assessment of countries' statistical methodology following the OECD Classification on pension plans and pension funds.
Access to OECD private pension statistics has been enhanced through the dissemination of additional data and selected indicators through the OECD Web statistical portal (OECD.stat). This should be further enriched with the inclusion of country profiles providing key indicators on a country per country basis. As far as paper publications are concerned, the newsletter "Pension Markets in Focus" was released in July 2010. Contributions to other OECD publications (e.g. 'OECD in figures', 'OECD Factbook') will continue in 2011 as well as approximately sixty country profiles generated for the IOPS Web site on a yearly basis. In addition, 2 OECD flagship publications will be published in 2011 including private pension statistics: the 'OECD Pensions at a Glance 2011' and the 'OECD Pensions Outlook 2012'.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Albania, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Croatia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Peru, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine
OECD Global Pension Statistics
Pension indicators
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
With respect to quality improvements, the work in 2011 will focus on methodological issues such as valuation methods for assets and liabilities, review of definitions within the statistical questionnaire and methodology for the calculation of funding ratios.
The geographical scope should be extended to non-member countries, and in particular OECD Accession and Enhanced Engagement countries as well as remaining G20 countries not in the GPS framework yet.
Relationship with accession countries will be developed further to review methodological aspects and general issues relating to the private pension statistics' framework and further improve data quality.
Data collection:
In order to better reflect national systems, possible adjustments to the OECD Classification may be included in the OECD statistical questionnaire to further refine definition of pension plan types: occupational vs. personal, DB vs. DC, mandatory vs. voluntary, as well as pension funds vs. pension insurance contracts.
There are variables, to which special attention will be given in order to improve granularity for analytical purposes. This will be the case for selected variables such as foreign investments, operating costs, contributions, and benefits.
Data management:
Additional variables should be collected related to foreign investments, operating costs, contributions and benefits.
Revenue Statistics
To provide data on tax revenues in OECD countries. These data are widely used within and outside the OECD to analyse tax policy developments in OECD countries.
Objectives and outputs
The annual "Revenue Statistics" publication provides a conceptual framework to define which government receipts should be regarded as taxes and to classify different types of taxes. It presents a set of detailed, internationally comparable tax data in a common format for all OECD countries from 1965 onwards.
Special features dealing with specific areas of interest (e.g. the interpretation of tax-to-GDP ratios; the impact of revised GDP figures on reported tax levels; changes to the rules for attributing revenues by level of government) represent an important component of the annual report.
Revenue Statistics
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Data collection from Estonia for the first time.
Re-drafting the commentary on the latest figures
Tax Rates
To provide information on tax rates in OECD countries. The taxes covered are personal and corporate income taxes, social security contributions and value added tax. The data are used to analyse tax rate trends and their policy implications.
Objectives and outputs
Data tables showing, for each of the main taxes, the rate and its method of application in each country are disseminated on the OECD website.
OECD Tax Database
Main Developments for 2011
No major changes.
Taxing Wages
To provide annual data for OECD countries on the personal income taxes and social security contributions paid by employees and their employers.
Objectives and outputs
The annual "Taxing Wages" publication details the tax/benefit position of employees, covering personal income tax and social security contributions paid by employees and their employers, and universal cash benefits received by family units. Taxes and benefits are detailed for eight family-types, which differ by income level and household composition. The report also presents the resulting average and marginal tax rates.
Taxing Wages
Main Developments for 2011
No major changes.
Management in Government
To collect comparable data and indicators of good government and efficient public services, and to provide robust empirics with which to assess the impact of public management reforms and progress made in their implementation.
Objectives and outputs
The second edition of "Government at a Glance" will be released in 2011. It will include measures of both the market and non-market activities of government and government-owned enterprises. In addition it will also measure other activities which are undertaken outside of general government but which are wholly or partly funded by government. Data are based on general government labour statistics and on detailed information from general government national accounts (investments, public corporations, supply and use tables) and information collected by GOV surveys on governance and public output processes and their results. The second publication will include six categories of variables: revenues; inputs; public sector processes; and antecedents or constraints that contextualize government performance and will also add output and outcome measures for the "whole of government", for selected policy sectors and for the machinery of government.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The main priorities are developing new indicators for the second edition of Government at a Glance and the development of a strategy in the long run for new data collection, including more measures about the quality of public sector processes and selected output and outcome measures.
Benefits and Wages
Monitor reforms of tax and benefits systems and their impact on work incentives and income adequacy. Results are used as the basis of the OECD's "Benefits and Wages" publication and as inputs into a wide range of studies produced within and outside the OECD. In addition, the group develops and maintains tax-benefit models. These computer models allow a wide range of tax and benefit indicators to be produced. Finally, an online "tax-benefit calculator" has now been made available on the web-page www.oecd.org/els/social/workincentives and will be maintained and updated in the future.
Objectives and outputs
The Benefits and Wages series addresses the complicated interactions of tax and benefit systems for different family types and labour market situations. The series is a valuable tool used to compare the different benefits made available to those without work and those with different levels of in-work income. The resulting indicators (such as 'net replacement rates') are useful for addressing issues of both work incentives and adequacy of household incomes.
Recent updates include calculations of incomes and work incentives net of childcare costs. Country coverage was recently extended to include Chile, Estonia, Israel and Slovenia, and, as part of a grant agreement with the European Commission, the new EU Members States who are not currently members of the OECD: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Romania. Preliminary models have been developed for Russia. Finally, ad-hoc models were developed jointly with the World Bank for a number of south-eastern European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Serbia.
An interface for interactive web access to tax-benefit models has been developed ("tax-benefit calculator") and is available on the web-page www.oecd.org/els/social/workincentives. It will be maintained and updated in the future.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation
Benefits and Wages
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Improved modelling of child-related policies, including transfers available to parents of very young children (e.g. maternity benefits). Improved modelling of the gender dimension of social policies (e.g. by collecting better earnings data for men and women).
Data collection:
Include Bulgaria, Romania, Chile, Israel, Russia
2.6 International trade and balance of payments and international investment position (ECB)
• Continue compiling euro area b.o.p. and i.i.p. statistics, and the Eurosystem's international reserves, including external debt and seasonally adjusted main components of the current account.
• Provide contribution to the compilation of the rest-of-the-world sector in the quarterly euro area sector accounts.
• In cooperation with Eurostat and the Working Group on External Statistics, design ECB requirements in line with the new international standards in the field of external statistics (namely the 6th edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) and the OECD Benchmark definition of Foreign Direct Investment).
• Continue monitoring the quality of the output in b.o.p. and i.i.p. statistics, both in terms of qualitative assessment and quantitative indicators. Annual data quality reports on the euro area b.o.p. / i.i.p. are published on the ECB's web site.
• Continue compiling data on the international role of the euro as an investment, invoicing and reserve currency.
• Further improve the consistency, accuracy and analytical value of statistics on securities and portfolio investment through the enhancement of security-by-security data collection models, also based on a Centralised Securities Database (CSDB).
• Further harmonise and improve the statistics on Foreign Direct Investment (joint ECB/Eurostat project on FDI production network).
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (CIS-STAT)
Foreign Trade Statistics
Ongoing work:
In foreign trade in goods over the period 2011:
Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data:
• On volumes of exports and imports, foreign trade balance as a whole with a breakdown by CIS countries and rest of the world countries (in current prices);
• On volumes of exports and imports, foreign trade balance by regional amalgamations of the CIS countries (in current prices);
• On exports and imports of most important commodities in quantity as a whole with a breakdown by CIS countries and rest of the world countries.
• Ratio of exports to imports;
• Share of the CIS countries and rest of the world countries in total volume of exports and imports transactions;
• Share of selected countries of the Commonwealth in total volume of intra trade;
• Share of selected countries of the Commonwealth in total volume of exports and imports transactions with the rest of the world countries;
• Exports of selected commodities of the Commonwealth countries by partner countries;
• Imports of selected commodities of the Commonwealth countries by partner countries;
• Average export prices for main commodities in the Commonwealth countries;
• Average import prices for main commodities in the Commonwealth countries.
• Geographic structure of exports (imports) of commodities.
• Commodity structure of exports (imports):
- total;
- in trade with CIS countries;
- in trade with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Community;
- in trade with the rest of the world countries;
• Production, exports, imports and "visible" consumption of selected kinds
of products of the CIS countries;
• Preparation of analytical reports illustrating foreign trade of the Commonwealth countries with the CIS countries, rest of the world countries and countries of the Eurasian Economic Community.
• Preparation of abstracts (Russian-English) illustrating foreign trade of the Commonwealth countries.
• CIS-STAT will continue making forecasts of production, imports and exports and "visible consumption" of most important kinds of products by countries of the Commonwealth. Over the period 2011-2012, the nomenclature of products covered in the forecasts will be broadened in comparison with the previous years.
• Provision of advisory and methodological assistance in statistics of foreign trade to national statistical services.
New activities:
• Recommendations on calculation of average price and volume indices of foreign trade.
Trade in Services
Ongoing work:
On international trade in services over the period 2011(on a yearly basis) :
• Collection of information from national statistical services on exports and imports of services in value terms by partner countries and kinds of services;
• Publication of data on trade in services of the CIS countries by main kinds of services and trade partners;
• Provision of methodological assistance in the statistical study of international trade in services;
• Preparation of analytical reports on exports (imports) of services in selected Commonwealth countries.
New activities:
Over the period 2011-2012:
• Improvement of methodological recommendations on statistical accounting of external economic services with due regard for international practice.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (Eurostat)
Theme 2.07 Trade in goods
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Production and dissemination of external trade statistics;
• Quality assurance in trade statistics;
• Co-ordination, drafting, adjustment and maintenance of legislation in the field of statistics on trade in goods with Member States (Intrastat) and non-Member States (Extrastat);
• Co-ordination of initiatives on burden reduction in the field of external trade statistics.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Further analysis concerning the consistency between trade in goods statistics and balance of payments statistics in order to move closer to more integrated statistical systems.
• Implementation of the new Intrastat and Extrastat legal requirements and provision of methodological support. Assessment of the impact of the implementation of the amended Intrastat regulation on the statistical response burden.
• Publish each month the main Intra and Extra EU and euro area aggregates via the Press releases (on average 46 days after the month of reference) and more detailed Intra and Extra trade statistics via Bulletins. Publish the Annual Yearbook and at least four Statistics in Focus during the year.
• Make available in the Comext database monthly detailed data and metadata (raw data, seasonally adjusted data, unit value indices, qualitative information, classifications and relations among them, methodological comments) from the 27 Member States, EFTA, from co-operation programmes and data from third countries and international organisations. Recent evolution of nomenclatures (SITC -Standard Industrial Trade Classification, BEC - Broad Economic Categories, CPA - Statistical Classification of Products by Activity in the European Economic Union, NSTR - Standard Goods Classification for Transport Statistics) and new related data derivation will be taken into account. An expanded range of services to data users (simplified/advanced and on-line/Web unified interfaces; new functionalities and improved support for users) will be provided in Comext.
• Consolidate and improve the data process according to the new Extrastat and amended Intrastat regulations adopted in 2009.
• Update methodological documentation. Further develop the implementation guidelines for the new pieces of legislation. Participate in the revision of concepts and definitions of external trade statistics at the level of the United Nations.
• Develop proposals in the framework of cooperation programmes. Follow-up the implementation of the current programmes (e.g. the Instrument of Pre-accession Activities - IPA).
• Modernise validation tools and methods at Eurostat and in Member States
• Collect and disseminate first annual data on trade by enterprise characteristics, required by the revised Regulations. Further develop methodological guidelines.
• Prepare individual assessment reports on each Member State and an annual summary quality report. Further develop guidelines for methods and practices affecting quality. Continue actions to decrease asymmetries in intra-EU trade statistics . Analyse and report on the quality of detailed data with the help of various monitoring reports.
• Ensure the maintenance of the Eurotrace package, organisation of course.
• In the framework of the MEETS programme which runs until 2013, continue financing studies on the simplification of Intrastat, on linking trade and other business statistics and on the implementation of new Extrastat legislation in the Member States.
• Consolidate the use and further implementation of XT-NET ASSIST application by Member States and possibly by main providers of statistical information (PSIs).
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (IMF)
International Trade
• The IMF participates in the development and promulgation of standards and methodology for trade statistics compilation such as the UN's International Merchandise Trade Statistics. The IMF has actively participated to the Intersecretariat Task Force on Merchandise Trade Statistics, chaired by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Task Force's initiatives include developing international handbooks on concepts and compilation methods for merchandise trade statistics and to reconcile merchandise trade data collected by the IMF, the United Nations, and the WTO.
• The IMF collects and maintains the monthly Direction of Trade Statistics database and disseminates associated monthly electronic and quarterly/annual hardcopy publications Direction of Trade Statistics, both quarterly and annual. Online version of the DOTS was released in January 2007 (available at www.imf.org) The Direction of Trade Statistics Yearbook (DOTSY) database provides annual bilateral trade data on the value of imports and exports of goods for 182 countries and major regional groups. Exports and imports are based upon both country data and estimation procedures designed to reduce gaps in reported values. The DOTS quarterly database is widely used within the IMF for trade policy analysis. This quarterly publication presents data for 158 countries and major regional areas. It is supplemented by a monthly CD-ROM and online database.
Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Statistics
• The IMF's Statistics Department released the English version of the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) at the end 2009 as an update to BPM5. The release of the BPM6 represents the culmination of several years of work by the Statistics Department under the auspices of the IMF Committee on Balance of Payments Statistics (Committee) in collaboration with a range of interested parties such as data users, national statistical compilers, specialized expert groups, and other international organizations. The BPM6 retains the basic framework of the BPM5, and the revision was undertaken in parallel with the update of the 2008 SNA, thereby enhancing the harmonization of macroeconomic statistics. The BPM6 also takes into account the methodological guidelines presented in other statistical manuals, including External Debt Statistics: Guide for Compilers and Users (2003), the MFSM, and the GFSM 2001. BPM6 is available on the IMF website at www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/bop/2007/bopman6.htm. Work is underway to translate the BPM6 into five languages- Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.
• The IMF provides technical assistance and training in external sector statistics to support countries in implementing the BPM6.
The Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook
• The IMF collects and disseminates balance of payments and international investment position (IIP) data of member countries through publication of its Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook (BOPSY) and International Finance Statistics (IFS), accessible through www.imf.org/external/data.htm.
• The BOPSY database contains data on balance of payments statistics for 195 jurisdictions and on IIP statistics for 123 jurisdictions. These annual and quarterly data are published monthly via CD-ROM and the online database.
The Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey
• The CPIS collects information on individual economy holdings of portfolio investment securities - equity and debt securities - valued at market prices at the end of each year, cross-classified by the country of the issuer of the securities. The coverage of the CPIS is augmented with information on the geographic breakdown of securities held as countries' foreign exchange reserve assets and security holdings of selected international organizations (these data are not disclosed at a detailed level, as the data are reported on a confidential basis). The CPIS is undertaken on an annual basis since 2001. The CPIS database is available on the IMF's website see: (www.imf.org/external/np/sta/pi/cpis.htm) along with the metadata. The results of the 2009 CPIS were posted on the IMF's external website at www.imf.org/external/np/sta/pi/geo.htm in November 2010 with 73 participating economies.
• Consistent with the advice of the Task Force on IIP/CPIS Data Enhancements and other data users, the IMF will promote further CPIS data enhancements, including enhancements in frequency, timeliness, and number of CPIS participating countries.
Coordinated Direct Investment Survey
• In consultation with other international organizations, the IMF has undertaken the first annual Coordinated Direct Investment Survey (CDIS). It had a reference date of end-2009. The first preliminary results of the CDIS were released in mid-December 2010 at http://cdis.imf.org. The CDIS results page also includes cross-country tables and links to participants' metadata.
• The CDIS provides direct investment positions data, by counterpart economy of immediate direct investor/direct investment enterprise. In addition, most participants have provided additional information by instrument. The survey is being conducted in a harmonized manner, so that the same principles are applied by participants with respect to valuation. Participation in the CDIS is broadly based: 72 jurisdictions reported inward data and 52 reported outward data. Many developing and emerging economies, as well as nearly all advanced economies, participated. Revised and more comprehensive data will be submitted to the IMF in March 2011, with an expected release date in mid-2011.
Data Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
• The website www.imf.org/external/np/sta/ir/IRProcessWeb/colist.aspx re-disseminates IMF member countries' data on international reserves and foreign currency liquidity in a common template and in a common currency (the U.S. dollar) www.imf.org/external/np/sta/ir/index.htm. The total number of reporters redisseminating the data has now reached 70 (68 reporting countries, plus the ECB and Eurosystem). Currently, the International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity Guidelines for a Data Template are being updated in line with BPM6.
Trade in Services
• The IMF participates in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services (ITFSITS). The ITFSITS has revised the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS) in accordance with revisions to the 2008 SNA and the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6). The 2010 MSITS was approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its meeting in February 2010. The IMF promotes the development and improvement of data on international trade in services as an integral part of its activities relating to the implementation of the BPM6. These efforts include the organization of and participation in regional seminars on statistics of international trade in services, in collaboration with other ITFSITS members.
• The IMF has recently improved methodological and compilation guidance for data on remittances, both through improvements in concepts (the BPM6 provides the conceptual framework for measuring remittances) and through developing guidance for the compilation of remittances data. The latter was carried out in collaboration with the World Bank and a select group of compilers from around the world (Luxembourg Group), and resulted in the preparation of the International Transactions in Remittances: Guide for Compilers and Users (RCG). The RCG was officially released in June 2009 at the second International Technical Meeting on Remittances. Work is underway to translate the guide into five languages-Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.
Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves
• The IMF has been collecting quarterly data on the currency composition of official foreign exchange reserves (COFER) since the 1960s from individual countries on a strict confidentiality basis, with dissemination limited to selected aggregates only. The database distinguishes official reserves denominated in U.S. dollars, euros, pounds sterling, Japanese yen, Swiss francs, and other currencies. In response to heightened policy and public interest, the IMF launched the quarterly publication of aggregate COFER data on its website on December 21, 2005 (www.imf.org/external/np/sta/cofer/eng/index.htm). Before this launch, annual aggregate COFER data had only been published in the IMF's Annual Reports. The published data are presented in aggregate form for each currency for three groupings: world, advanced economies, and emerging and developing economies. The classification of countries and the definition of foreign exchange reserves follow those currently used in the IMF's IFS.
External Debt Statistics
• Under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics (TFFS), chaired by the IMF, the External Debt Statistics: Guide for Compilers and Users (EDS Guide) was published in 2003 to set the standards in this field of statistics. The TFFS agreed that work on the update of the EDS Guide will be undertaken beginning in 2011 with the objective of having the next EDS Guide ready by 2013. On the whole, the EDS Guide remains largely consistent with the updated standards. A limited number of changes in the methodological treatments in the EDS Guide are discussed in the paper: Update of the External Debt Guide on Issues Emerging from BPM6 (March 2009). The TFFS website (www.tffs.org) is hosted by the IMF and was launched in December 2008.
• The IMF provides technical assistance in external debt to member countries through a variety of venues, including staff and expert missions to individual countries, and joint training activities with the members of the TFFS (comprising the Bank for International Settlements, Commonwealth Secretariat, European Central Bank, Eurostat, IMF, OECD, Paris Club Secretariat, UNCTAD, and the World Bank).
• In collaboration with the IMF, the World Bank launched in 2004 a Quarterly External Debt Database (www.worldbank.org/qeds) that offers access to external debt statistics of 63 countries that disseminate external debt data according to the requirements of the IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS), and to gross public external debt statistics of about 32 countries that provide data according to the recommendations of the IMF's General Data Dissemination System (GDDS). The IMF in collaboration with the BIS, OECD, and the World Bank launched the Joint External Debt Hub (JEDH) website in March 2006, bringing together external debt statistics produced from creditor/market sources for over 200 economies together with debtor sources taken from the Quarterly External Database. The JEDH website can be found at www.jedh.org.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (ITF on International Trade in Services)
Trade in Services
• The revised Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS), which was adopted by the United Nations Statistical Committee in February 2010 will be released early 2011. It is published by seven agencies. Work on compilation guidance to the MSITS, will be the first priority of the TFSITS in 2011.
• The Task Force (TFSITS), convened by OECD, coordinates technical cooperation efforts between agencies to aid countries' implementation of the MSITS's recommendations. The Task Force has developed a free training module on trade in services coordinated by the World Trade Organization and with the World Bank.
• Data collection is coordinated by the agencies to avoid duplication of effort e.g. through standard questionnaires and codes for reporting the data, and data sharing.
• A UNSD web page, with a Newsletter, provides a central reference point for information about MSITS, the work of the TFSITS, seminars and other new developments. (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradeserv/default.asp). This provides links to the other Organisations web pages on trade in services. OECD and UNSD have established email hotlines (respectively email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com) for inquiries about the work on trade in services.
• In 2011, the biannual Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services, will take place first on the 28th and 29th March 2011 in Luxembourg. On the 30th of March, a one-day joint meetings with TFIMTS will be held (as in the past two years) to discuss a number of cross-cutting issues with merchandise trade statistics such as the measurement of trade in manufacturing services, merchanting and trade in digital products. The second meeting this year is scheduled on the 20th of October 2011, back to back with the OECD Working Party on Trade in Goods and Services (WPTGS) which is planned from the 17th to the 19th of October 2011 in Paris.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (OECD)
Creditor Reporting System (CRS) Aid Activity Database
Provide Members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the international aid community a set of readily available basic data that enables analysis on where aid goes, what purposes it serves and what policies it aims to implement. The DAC uses the data for consideration of specific policy issues and for monitoring donors' compliance with various international recommendations in the field of development co-operation. Outside the DAC, the data is mainly used to analyse the sectoral and geographical breakdown of aid for selected years and donors or groups of donors.
Objectives and outputs
Improve consistency, presentation and coverage to reflect current development co-operation priorities and classifications. Continue work on converging DAC and CRS datasets. Implement the new typology of aid.
Since 2008 (reporting on 2007 flows) the CRS includes the Trade capacity Building Database (TCBDB) operated previously by WTO.
Creditor Reporting System (CRS) Aid Activity Database
Main Developments for 2011
Data collection:
Test data collection in new format, merging CRS and DAC systems.
Data management:
Implementation of the new typology of aid.
Database on Country Programmable Aid (CPA database)
Provide members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the international aid community a set of readily of available statistics on country programmable aid (CPA) flows. This new measure of aid comes much closer to capturing the flows received and recorded in country aid management systems than measures of total aid (ODA - official development assistance). CPA is estimated on the basis of the standard DAC statistics (DAC and CRS) and defined through exclusion, by subtracting from total gross ODA aid that is: unpredictable by nature (humanitarian aid and debt relief); entails no cross-border flows (administrative costs, imputed student costs, promotion of development awareness, and research and refugees in donor countries); does not form part of co-operation agreements between governments (food aid and aid from local governments); or is not country programmable by the donor (core funding of NGOs). The database provides reference data to DAC and other stakeholders for the analysis of fragmentation and planned forward spending of aid.
Objectives and outputs
To provide timely and comprehensive statistics on country programmable aid (CPA) for all countries and territories on the DAC List of ODA Recipients. To provide reference data for the annual Report of the Survey of Indicative Forward Spending Plans and for the annual Report on Division of Labour and global fragmentation.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Further strengthening the methodology to derive CPA and make sectoral CPA data available online via OECD.STAT and QWIDS.
Official and Private Resource Flows from DAC Members to Developing Countries
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) database provides comprehensive data on the volume, origin and types of aid and other resource flows to over 150 aid recipients. The data shows each aid recipient's receipts of official development assistance (ODA), other official flows and private flows from members of the DAC, multilateral agencies and other non-DAC donors.
Objectives and outputs
To provide timely and comprehensive statistics of official and private flows to all countries and territories on the DAC list of ODA recipients. Improve consistency, presentation and coverage to reflect current development co-operation priorities and classifications.
Update reporting guidance to maintain comparable statistics and improve reporting and comparability of statistics on the tying status of aid.
Support work on changing patterns of development finance and the increasing role of private flows.
Database on official and private resource flows from DAC Members to developing countries
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Continued reform of DAC statistics, through implementation of new classification of aid, further work on improving access to data, possible sharing of data with developing countries, and continuing help from Secretariat to members in improving statistical quality and timeliness.
A new work stream on non-ODA flows will be integrated into STAT in early 2011. For the first time, a dedicated unit (2 officials) will closely examine types of development financing other than ODA (non-concessional official loans inc. export credits, private flows inc. remittances, guarantee schemes). This analysis will focus on both the volume and developmental relevance of these flows.
DAC interest: DAC members afforded a high priority to this work during discussions of the PWB for 2011-2012, consequently (and based on the progress of work), STAT will consider preparing a report for the DAC in Q4 2011.
Data collection:
Implementation of the new typology of aid.
Balance of Payments
To collect and publish timely, accurate and internationally comparable Balance of Payments statistics to meet OECD user needs and in support of identified data needs.
Objectives and outputs
To provide timely summary quarterly statistics on Balance of Payments. To improve the efficiency of data collection, timeliness, international comparability and quality of the published balance of payments data on the MEI database. To contribute as appropriate to the OECD Quarterly Trade Press Release. To contribute to methodological work on Balance of Payments. To improve information on remittance flows to meet user needs. Integrate Enhanced Engagement countries.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Balance of Payments
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The BOP database needs a full review and an investigation into how best to implement BPM6. This can only be done with additional resources.
Data collection:
Improve the efficiency and timeliness of data collection. Find new data for non member countries.
Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment
To set standards on how foreign direct investment data should be compiled according to international standards. Internationally comparable data, based on these concepts, makes it possible to measure the degree of economic integration and competitiveness of markets.
Objectives and outputs
• Following the Council recommendation of 2008:
i) to continue work on Research Agenda;
ii) To promote exchange of best practices and information between countries to facilitate implementation of BMD4 standards to improve FDI statistics;
• To promote BMD4 recommendations for Enhanced Engagement countries
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
• Establishing a clear communications policy for data users on revised FDI definitions and concepts;
• Implementing an electronic version of the recommendations and practical examples, etc.
• Providing regional and other assistance as appropriate to national compilers.
FDI statistics -Review of OECD accession candidate countries
To review the position of the OECD accession candidate country vis-a-vis the Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment, 4th edition and related reporting requirements as set out in the OECD Accession Roadmap.
Objectives and outputs
Contribution to Investment Committee's examination of the willingness and the ability of the accession candidate country to assume the obligations of OECD membership in its field of competence.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Russian Federation
Foreign Direct Investment Statistics
To compile and disseminate regularly reliable and up-to-date Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) statistics which are essential for a meaningful interpretation of investment trends for the purpose of policy analysis and decision. FDI statistics provide a reliable and comprehensive source of information to OECD governments, potential investors and the public at large. They also provide the basis for periodical analyses of direct investment trends and of policies towards international direct investment in OECD member countries.
Objectives and outputs
FDI statistical series provide detailed information on inward and outward FDI flows and positions to and from OECD countries. The information is based on a standard presentation designed according to internationally agreed standards (joint OECD-EUROSTAT questionnaire based on the OECD Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment and the IMF Balance of Payments Manual). Comparative tables and charts by geographical and sectoral breakdowns for direct investment flows and stocks complement the information included for individual countries.
Statistics are also included regularly or as required for trends analysis, to monitor foreign investment activities, country reviews, etc. Data and analysis are mainly published annually in two distinct publications: OECD International Direct Investment Yearbook and International Investment Perspectives. Data are also provided on OECD.Stat for wider usage by OECD analysts.
For most recent trends, timely aggregate quarterly FDI statistics are compiled and disseminated on OECD website:http://www.oecd.org/document/8/0,3343,en_2649_33763_40930184_1_1_1_1,00.html
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Foreign Direct Investment
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The database will be upgraded to include the revised methodological recommendations included in the OECD Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment. This upgrading will allow including data according to BMD4 which countries may report in 2010 for the reference year 2009.
Data collection:
Data collection on the basis of the revised questionnaires and using the electronic questionnaire where countries are not applying GESMES.
International Trade Indicators
To measure globalisation in the context of international trade, for the levels of total trade (goods and services), trade of goods and trade of services. Some of the indicators refer to aggregated levels while other ones differentiate according to types of commodities traded, to types of services delivered or to types of economic activities involved.
Objectives and outputs
Extension of the indicators present in the database.
Update of existing indicators.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Extension of a number of indicators in response to identified, globalisation-related statistical needs.
Improvement of timeliness of data updates, extension of FAME-based calculation and updating procedures to more indicators.
Trade by enterprise characteristics
To measure, on the one hand, the contribution of real economic sectors to trading, and on the other hand, to complement business data with detailed information on trade, which is traditionally not part of business statistics.
Objectives and outputs
Under guidance of the Business Economic Statistics and Trade (BEST) Steering Group, a first OECD Linkage Table, which is based on Eurostat's Standardisation Document Rev. 2, was sent out to participating Non-EU-OECD member countries. Up to now, OECD has received data collection tables from Canada, , Norway and the United States. In addition, Eurostat provided OECD with the respective (published) data tables of several EU member states for reference years 2005-7. After reclassification of the Eurostat data to OECD standards (ISIC and CPC classifications, USD currency and OECD geo-nomenclature), these were integrated to the Trade by enterprise characteristics (TEC) database of the OECD, available in the globalisation cube of OECD.Stat.
Trade by Enterprise Characteristics
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
In 2011, the data collection will include more recent reference years and more countries, in co-operation with Eurostat.
The Handbook on Trade Microdata is expected to be completed early in 2011 and submitted to the BEST Steering Group. The next BEST Steering Group meeting will be the crucial point to fix the next steps for the continuation and expansion of this database.
International Trade in Goods
To produce consistent and timely international trade data for OECD member countries and ensure methodological soundness and comparability of international trade data. To conduct research to improve the quality of the concepts underlying international trade data and play an active role in the development of international standards.
Objectives and outputs
Collects and maintains two databases for analytical use: (a) monthly data of exports and imports at current prices by partner countries and main categories of commodities, and volume and average value indices for selected countries and main categories; and (b) detailed annual data of exports and imports by commodities and by partner countries using three classifications (SITC, HS, ISIC).
Full implementation of the OECD-UNSD data sharing agreement covering all OECD member countries. A successful completion of the first phase (data collection and transmission to UNSD) of this initiative has already resulted in a reduction of the response burden for member countries and has led in 2006 to identical trade figures published by both the UN and the OECD (processed data). The OECD meeting of experts in international trade will continue to stimulate the exchange of views and research on methodological issues. The 2010 ITS expert meeting attracted 130 participants.
OECD continues to participate in and contribute to the Inter-Agency Merchandise Trade Task Force and manages, and moderates together with WTO, the EDG "Tradenet" on methodological and co-ordination issues affecting various national and international organisations.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, Chinese Taipei, Russian Federation
International trade by Commodity Statistics
Monthly Statistics of International Trade
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
In 2011, data quality and timeliness of processed data should be further improved as it is planned to implement "data capture" checks in order to facilitate the upload of data into ITCS.
ITCS in OECD.Stat has continued stabilizing in 2010 and efficiency results have been gained thanks to the new server and new architecture of ITCS on OECD.stat which resulted in better performances and better timeliness (through the implementation of a direct link between ITCS and OECD.stat).
The team will continue working on files data and metadata files received in the context of the accession of the new members to the OECD. Upload of data files into the database will be dealt with in the context of all the other priorities.
The team will be involved on the publication of the new Trade and Competitiveness at a Glance.
In the context of the 2011-2012 biennium project of implementation of Unit value Indexes to the annual trade database, research will be conducted on an outlier detection method that can fit with the data provided with the different members of the OECD
Data collection:
Concurrent use of the ITCS OECD-UNSD common data collection and processing system and the OECD trade ITCS in OECD.Stat. Full addition of ISIC classification.
International Trade in Services
To provide detailed, relevant and internationally comparable data for trade policy and economic analysis. The information needs of international trade negotiations including the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the observed increase in internationalisation of services production are driving new developments.
Objectives and outputs
An annual joint effort publication with Eurostat and database: "OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services - Detailed tables by category of service". This covers the 33 member countries. Data are based on the concepts of the IMF's 5th Balance of Payments Manual and are broken down according to the detailed EBOPS Classification of Trade in Services with the exception of Australia which has started compiling information according to BPM6. The publication "OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services - Detailed Tables by Partner Country" provides bilateral service trade flows for 31 member countries, Hong Kong SAR and Russian Federation.
Coordinate the work of the Interagency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services including the finalisation of the paper version of the "The Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services" (MSITS 2010) and its online annexes. Prepare outline of the compilation guidance.
Contribute to organisation of the WP on trade in goods and trade in services statistics.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
International trade in services by category of service (TIS)
OECD Statistics on International Trade in Services by Service Category and by Partner Country
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Promote SDMX for exchanging trade in services data.
Facilitate to the extent possible links between the classifications EBOPS and ISIC.
Implement EBOPS 2010 in StatWorks and upload countries that have adopted the new standards, beginning with Australia.
Improve the timeliness, with rolling updates, and detail of published data. Monitor progress in the implementation of MSITS recommendations.
Contribute to OECD analytical work and in particular work closely with TAD and STI on data needs for the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index.
Improve estimates of world trade flows of services.
Cooperate with Eurostat to collect and make available as far as possible partner country data on remittances.
Develop cooperation with UNSD and other agencies on data sharing in trade in services.
Data collection:
Pursue rolling update of trade in services by partner country data as data become available. Countries that are sent an excel questionnaire to will be asked to fill in. A second best would now be for them to provide us with their data in an SDMX format
Intra-firm trade
To create a dataset of intra-firm trade among OECD countries for TAD report on "Intra-firm trade".
Objectives and outputs
The project started in 2010 and will continue in 2011. A work-in-progress report has been presented in September 2010.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The database will include US data at a more disaggregated level (HS6) and estimates based on firm-level data (ORBIS) will be updated.
Monthly International Trade
To produce consistent and timely international trade data for OECD member countries, ensure methodological soundness and comparability of international trade data, conduct research to improve the quality of the concepts underlying international trade data and play an active role in the development of international standards.
Objectives and outputs
Collect data and maintain database for analytical use: monthly data of exports and imports at current prices by partner countries and main categories of commodities, and volume and average value indices for selected countries and main categories. Continuous and close co-operation with key users at OECD. Updating cycles optimised to respond to needs of Economic Outlook. Online availability of OECD's detailed international trade data. OECD continues to actively participate and contribute to the International Trade Task Force (Inter-Agency TF)
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Russian Federation
Monthly Statistics of International Trade (MSIT)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Following the recommendations of the WPTGS and the work carried out by the Secretariat, it is planned for 2011 to continue work on implementation of the methodological questionnaire results; advance total trade data submission to MSIT to feed into MEI in a timely manner (after aligning methodologies between MSIT and MEI) and to produce identical, consistent monthly trade aggregate figures in the two publications; expand scope of countries to include the 5 Accession countries with help from additional resources marked to that effect.
Services Trade Restrictiveness Index
To provide a reliable and accurate regulatory database which can be easily updated for the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index.
Objectives and outputs
the STRI Regulatory Database inform on the existence of barriers to trade in services in the countries covered. This information is completed by direct links to the legal sources and comments clarifying the context.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
The database has been completely refined and updated during the year.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (UN Statistics Division)
International Merchandise Trade
Priority objectives:
• Production of the Compilers Manual of the revised International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 including a worldwide consultation on key issues;
• Major upgrade of the UN Comtrade database, including the integration of monthly (quarterly data).
Ongoing work:
• Organization of a worldwide consultation on the key issues relevant to the Compilers Manual for IMTS 2010; done in cooperation with the UN Expert Group on IMTS and the Interagency Task Force on IMTS;
• Assisting developing countries in improving compilation practices and in the implementation of the new international recommendations;
• Continuation of work on UN COMTRADE to provide high quality data and efficient public, governmental and international agency access;
• Production of numerous ongoing analytical outputs, such as the trade statistics yearbook;
• Coordination of international statistical work in the field of trade statistics (in co-operation with EUROSTAT, OECD, UNCTAD, FAO, WTO, WCO, the UN Regional Commissions and other international and regional organizations).
International Trade in Services
Priority objectives:
• Development of on-line Compilation Guidance for the revised Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010;
• Production of the CG for IRTS 2008 in close cooperation with UNWTO;
• Further development of the UN database on international trade in services (UN ServiceTrade).
Ongoing and new activities:
• Contribute to the development of compilation guide for MSITS 2010 as a member of the Interagency Task-Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services;
• Contribute to the drafting of the compilation guide for IRTS 2008;
• Organization of an expert group meeting to approve the draft compilation guide for IRTS 2008;
• Organization of workshops on statistics of international trade in services for developing and transitional countries;
• Continuation of data collection activities on a worldwide basis in cooperation with other involved international organizations;
• Supporting the work of the Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services, including publishing the Newsletter of the Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services and maintaining its website.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (UNCTAD)
Foreign Direct Investment
Methodological work:
Participation in the joint working group EUROSTAT "FATS (foreign affiliates statistics)", OECD's Working Group on International Investment Statistics, and IMF Balance of Payments Statistics Committee.
Data collection and processing:
• Continuous update of the FDI database (FDI flows and stocks) and operations of TNCs (activities of foreign affiliates and parent firms). UNCTAD maintains and regularly updates its databases on FDI, activities of TNCs, cross-border M&As and largest TNCs and disseminate the data through its annual report, World Investment Report, and UNCTADstat.
• Collection of FDI flow and stock data in line with internationally agreed recommendations, and dissemination of FDI data, including metadata and related information, through the UNCTAD data extract service.
Technical cooperation:
A national workshop on FDI statistics was held in Viet Nam in July 2010 and in Congo DRC in June 2010. A second regional workshop on FDI Data compilation and Common Reporting System in COMESA Countries was held in Swaziland in November 2010 as part of the joint initiative with the COMESA Secretariat. An e-learning course on "Statistics of foreign direct investment (FDI) and operations of transnational corporations (TNCs)" is also being implemented. This course will accommodate all levels of practitioners - from novice to very experienced - and a broad range of interest areas in learning and deepening knowledge on the methodologies of FDI statistics.
Planned activities for 2011:
• UNCTAD Workshop on FDI Trends and the Methodology in Collecting Data on FDI and TNC Activities in the Six Countries in Latin America (March 2011, Peru).
• National Workshop on outward FDI, Saudi Arabia (first quarter of 2011).
• Advisory Services on FDI Statistics in Guatemala: Workshop on Survey Methodologies in Collecting Data on FDI and TNC activities (first half of 2011).
Foreign Trade Statistics
Ongoing work:
Methodological work:
• Participation in the Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics.
• Preparation of the total merchandise trade statistics of Least Developed Countries that are integrated into the Common Data Set (CDS) which is a joint effort by Eurostat, OECD, UNSD, UNCTAD and WTO to reconcile their time series on merchandise trade statistics, using international standards as a benchmark.
• Calculation of volume, price and terms of trade indices and trade analytical indicators published in the UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics and on-line in UNCTADstat.
• Development of the South-South Trade Information System providing comprehensive information on bilateral trade flows at the product level between developing countries and including own estimates for country-periods missing in the COMTRADE database.
Market Access Information
Ongoing work:
Methodological work:
• Contribution to the maintenance and updating of the Common Analytical Market Access Database (CAMAD) among UNCTAD, ITC and WTO.
• Upgrade of WITS software in collaboration with the World Bank and ITC.
Data collection and processing:
• Update of the Database on Trade Control Measures covering tariff, Para-tariff and non-tariff measures disseminated in TRAINS (Trade Analysis and Information System).
New activities:
• Preparation of data for the third publication of the World Tariff Profile (joint publication with WTO and ITC).
Trade in Services
Ongoing work:
Methodological work:
Participation in the work of the Inter-agency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services (TFSITS) and contribution to the preparation of the revised Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services to be published in early 2010.
Data collection and processing:
In light of the recommendation by UNSC, compilation of foreign affiliate trade in services statistics (FATS).
New activities:
• Implementation of the recommendations of the manual on trade of services.
• Collection of data on the operations of TNCs and foreign affiliates in host economies, including those in the services sector.
• Guidance to developing countries wishing to adopt internationally-agreed recommendations for the compilation of data on the operations of TNCs and their foreign affiliates in the services sector.
• Dissemination of such data, including metadata, through UNCTADstat and the Handbook of Statistics.
• Technical cooperation: In the framework of a MOU signed between UNCTAD and UEMOA, preparation of the regulation and statistical infrastructure needed for the collection and analysis of statistics on exports and imports of services in order to enable member states to define policies that are consistent with their development objectives.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (World Bank)
External Debt Statistics
• The World Bank's Debt Reporting System (DRS) requires every member country, which has received either an IBRD loan or an IDA credit to provide information on its external debt. The borrowing countries are required to report their long-term external debt on the following forms:
i) Form 1 - Description of Individual External Public Debt and Private Debt Publicly Guaranteed which consists of information on each loan characteristics, such as commitment date, amount of loan commitment, loan purpose, interest rate, and terms and conditions of payments;
ii) Form 1A - Schedule of Drawings and Principal and Interest Payments for Individual External Public Debt and Private Debt Publicly Guaranteed, purpose of which is to enable the Bank to make projections of future payments of principal and interest for those loans that have irregular patterns of repayments;
iii) Form 2 - Individual External Public Debts and Private Debts Publicly Guaranteed: Current Status and Transactions During Period. This form contains loan-by-loan information on debt stocks and debt flows during the reporting period;
iv) Form 3 - To contain specific amendments to Forms 1 and 2;
v) Form 4 - External Private Non-Guaranteed Debt to include aggregate stocks and flows data on long-term external private non-guaranteed debt.
• The World Bank has been working closely with the Commonwealth secretariat and the UNCTAD to improve the data collection across the globe. In addition, new tools are being built and made available to reporting countries through the external data collection site (Web-DRS), to speed up the process.
• The Joint External Debt Hub (JEDH) brings together external debt data and selected foreign assets from international creditor/market and national debtor sources and was recently expanded to include data from Berne Union Data will be expanded to include additional indicators from Paris Club and IMF's SDR allocations. The creditor/market data are complemented in the JEDH by series from the World Bank's Quarterly External Debt Database from national sources. National data has been extended to not only SDDS/QEDS countries but also GSSD/QEDS countries. Data are updated on a quarterly basis. As a pilot project of the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX), JEDH applies technological innovation to the context and content of information being exchanged with the aim of generating efficiencies through the convergence of data flows into a common framework. The Bank is also working in collaboration with the IMF and other partners to improve statistics on remittance flows to developing countries. The system is accessible from: http://www.jedh.org.
• In collaboration with the IMF, the World Bank launched a web based, centralized quarterly external debt debtor database located in the World Bank. Quarterly External Debt Statistics (QEDS) database brings together detailed external debt data that are published separately by countries that subscribe to the IMF' Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The benefit of bringing together comparable external debt data for a large number of SDDS-subscribing countries in one central location is to facilitate macroeconomic analysis and cross-country data comparison.
Sixty two SDDS countries (62) are currently participating in this initiative. QEDS database has been extended to a selected number of countries that participate in the IMF's General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) in February 2008. As of December 2010, forty-four GDDS countries have agreed to participate in this database. The system is accessible from: http://www.worldbank.org/qeds.
• The Quarterly Public Sector Debt Statistics (QPSD) database, jointly developed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, brings together detailed quarterly public sector debt data of selected developing /emerging market countries. The main purpose of the PSD database is to facilitate timely dissemination in standard formats of public sector debt data. By bringing such data and metadata together in one central location, the database supports macroeconomic analysis and cross-country comparison. The participation of countries in this centralized database is voluntary. Currently, 60 countries have agreed to participate and 30 provided data to the PSD database. Other countries will be asked to participate on the centralized database at a later stage. The database is updated quarterly and within one month of the end of a quarter. These databases aim to support countries' efforts toward improving the coverage and availability of public sector debt data. The system is accessible from: http://www.worldbank.org/qpsd.• DECDG is also publishing the Global Development Finance 2010: External Debt of Developing Countries, which is a continuation of the World Bank's publications Global Development Finance, Volume II (1997 through 2009), it contains statistical tables for 128 countries as well as summary tables for regional and income groups.
Foreign Trade Statistics
Ongoing work:
The new web-based World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) is a software developed by the World Bank, in close collaboration and consultation with various International Organizations including United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Trade Center (ITC), United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) and World Trade Organization (WTO). This new software does not require installation and it is fully web-based. WITS gives you access to major international trade, tariffs and non-tariff data:
• The United Nations COMTRADE database maintained by UNSD
• The TRAINS maintained by the UNCTAD;
• The IDB and CTS databases maintained by the WTO.
The merchandise trade data is based on bilateral trade between every reporting and trading partner. Tariff and non-tariff data are from UNCTAD files. The system also provides tariff data from WTO's IDB and CTS databases. In addition, WITS contains simulation tools that are extremely useful for trade negotiations. Users can simulate the impact of tariff changes on trade flows. To access the new WITS, visit http://wits.worldbank.org/WITS/.
In addition to the new software, the Bank has also launched two new trade visualizers. Users can view their data using bubble charts and the map visualizer. "Bubble charts" display data in four dimensions. In each chart, the size of the country circle represents a volume measure, such as population or GDP. The position of the bubbles is determined by the indicators selected for the horizontal and vertical axes. The visualizer can be accessed from http://devdata.worldbank.org/TradeVisualizer/. The "map visualizer" animates the export and import trade data from the UNSD COMTRADE database by commodity and partner country from 1988-2008. It can be accessed from http://devdata.worldbank.org/TradeMapVisualizer/DataVisualizer.html.
2.6 International trade and balance of payments (World Trade Organization)
International Merchandise Trade Statistics and Tariff and Trade Databases
Ongoing work:
The WTO produces aggregate annual, quarterly, and monthly total merchandise trade statistics. For disaggregated merchandise trade statistics, the WTO is largely a user of other agencies' data. It complements these data with own estimates and adjustments to build country and product aggregates according to WTO definitions. In addition, through the inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics (TF IMTS) and other bodies, the WTO supports actively ongoing efforts to improve coordination in data collection and dissemination, development of concepts and definitions, and analysis of trade data.
On tariffs and tariff-related imports, the WTO collects primary data from national compilers. The WTO actively cooperates with UNCTAD and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to enhance the exchange and publication of tariff information and also maintains a database containing WTO Members' legal commitments on goods.
The WTO also coordinates the inter-agency MDG-Trade group of Geneva (ITC/UNCTAD/WTO) that monitors market access conditions for developing and least-developed countries and produces corresponding MDG indicators. Besides compiling the relevant information, work focuses on improving the measurement and interpretation of related MDG statistics by extending coverage and developing complementary indicators (http://www.mdg-trade.org).
Priority objectives:
To actively contribute to the development of a consistent, internationally recognized set of up-to-date international trade statistics and tariff information.
To implement an enhanced framework for the collection of WTO Members' submissions of tariffs and tariff-related import statistics for filling existing gaps of data.
New activities:
In response to the globalization of production in manufacturing, the WTO has actively engaged in extending traditional trade statistics to identify the countries' respective domestic (value-added) content. In 2010/2011, an 'atlas-type' publication of the Asian region will be produced in co-operation with IDE-JETRO aiming at analyzing the impact of global value chains on trade flows and regional integration in Eastern Asia. Co-operation on methodological and data issues is also developing with OECD, as well as other stakeholders pertaining to the World Input-Output Project (WIOD), supported by the European Union.
Following a change in data confidentiality policy, the WTO has made available to the public its tariff databases at tariff line level in January 2010 via the Tariff Analysis Online. The public already had previously access to tariff and trade information at the Harmonized System six-digit level only, via the Tariff Download Facility.
A study on historical developments of tariffs is also under way. The first phase of the project, under implementation, is to augment the collection of historical archives in WTO custody. The second phase contemplates the digitalization of the information gathered.
International Trade in Services Statistics
Ongoing work:
Active participation in the work of the inter-agency Task Force on Statistics of International Trade in Services with particular emphasis on improving data quality of the international agencies' released statistics. Assist in developing compilation guidance for the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services (MSITS 2010); and organize and carry out statistical capacity building.
Priority objectives:
• cooperate with other agencies to improve data quality, and
• carry out statistical capacity building seminars and developing e-training modules (national and regional seminars).
Inter-agency Task Force on International Merchandise Trade Statistics
The Task Force has been established by the UN Statistical Commission. The World Trade Organization (WTO) convenes this Task Force and maintains a website for it providing relevant material on classifications, concepts and definitions, an inter-agency Common Data Set on the countries' total merchandise exports and imports, and technical assistance (http://imts.wto.org/).
Ongoing work:
• Methodological work: Implementation of IMTS 2010 and assisting in developing respective Compilation Guidance.
• Data collection and processing: Maintain the inter-agency Common Dataset (CDS) of aggregate merchandise trade values that includes officially reported data and reconciled data (UNSD, IMF, UNCTAD, OECD, Eurostat, WTO).
Priority objectives:
• Through inter-agency collaboration, improve the coverage, consistency, quality and timeliness of aggregate and detailed merchandise trade statistics; and identify and analyze emerging statistical issues related to globalization and trade;
• Provide analysts, policy-makers and other users with easily accessible, analytically valuable data by maintaining an online, interactive database on the Task Force's website for the inter-agency Common Data Set (http://imts.wto.org/common_dataset_e.htm).
New activities:
• Analysis of cross-cutting issues to help assisting implementation and preparation of Compilation Guidance for IMTS and MSITS 2010.
• Analysis of the impact of global value chains on trade statistics.
2.7 Prices
2.7 Prices (CIS-STAT)
Price Statistics
Ongoing work:
• CIS-STAT collects and processes data on producer price indices, tariffs for goods transport and consumer price indices:
- Monthly: producer price indices for the main branches of industry and consumer price indices.
- Yearly: producer price indices for agricultural products, aggregate indices of prices in the construction industry, including prices for assembly work, and indices of tariffs for goods transport both for the transport industry generally and for individual modes of transport (for the Commonwealth countries which keep such records).
- A seminar was conducted for specialists of the CIS statistical services on the Programme of International Comparison of GDP of the CIS countries for 2011 (23-24 August 2010 in Minsk).
- A regional list of consumer commodities-representatives based on the list of core consumer commodities developed by the Global office of the World Bank for international comparisons for 2011 was prepared.
- A meeting of specialists of the CIS national statistical services on reconciliation of the list of consumer commodities-representatives was conducted from 8 to 11 November 2010 in Astana.
- Classification of GDP by basic headings including the detailed description of main divisions and recommendations on possible sources of data was revised.
- A meeting on GDP data preparation in national prices in accordance with the provisions of SNA-1993 was conducted from 30 November to 2 December 2010 in Moscow.
• There was prepared a questionnaire to be filled up with data on GDP in national prices in accordance with the Classification of GDP expenditures for the CIS countries for 2008 (as an experiment) and for 2011.
• The work on preparation of draft regional list of investment commodities-representatives is near completion.
• The work on the development of a number of methodological documents concerning different issues of international comparisons of GDP is underway.
• The work has begun on preparation of electronic forms which will be used by the CIS countries for submission of data.
• The division entitled "International Comparison Programme" was created on the website of CIS-STAT.
New activities:
Envisaged for 2011 are:
• Conduct of a meeting of specialists of the CIS statistical services on reconciliation of the list of investment commodities-representatives for 2011 round of ICP.
• Updating of the list of investment commodities-representatives with the account of proposals and comments of the CIS countries and development of electronic forms of the questionnaire.
• Collection and analysis of GDP data for 2008 in national prices structured by basic headings of the Standard classification of GDP expenditures for the CIS countries. These experimental data should be submitted to CIS-STAT by national statistical services of the CIS in the 1st quarter of 2011.
2.7 Prices (ECB)
• Seasonal adjustment of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.
• Publication of quarterly euro area and selected national residential property price indices.
• Methodological work towards the compilation of a euro area commercial property price index.
• Compilation of various euro area commodity price indices.
In close cooperation with Eurostat:
• Actively contribute to the further development and harmonisation of prices and costs statistics produced by the European Statistical System.
2.7 Prices (Eurostat)
Theme 2.06 Prices
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Production and development of Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICPs);
• Production and development of Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs);
• Development of house price indices/ prices for owner-occupied housing;
• Development of detailed multi-purpose consumer price statistics;
• Calculation of Correction Coefficients and Salary Adjustment for EU Staff;
• Development and production of information on Pension for EU Staff.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• Develop the Health output approach for PPP for all EU Member States;
• Update PPP Manual.
• Produce, quality-check and further develop HICP monthly data and HICP flash estimates including the production and necessary further development of HICP at constant tax rates and HICP administered prices;
• Owner Occupied Housing (OOH) and dwelling price indices;
• Development of detailed information on prices;
• Develop and follow up the implementation of standards on quality; adjustment and sampling and weighting;
• Extend HICP communications to promote the HICP;
• Monitor the compliance of national indices with HICP standards with follow-up as required;
• Carry out PPP surveys and compute 2010 PPP;
• Compute Correction Coefficients and annual adjustment for Staff;
• Develop and produce information on pension contribution rate, pension expenditure forecast, pension liability and health liability;
• Implementing Regulation for PPP and PPP Inventories of Member States' methods.
2.7 Prices (FAO)
Agricultural Producer Prices
New activities:
• The agricultural price domain redesigned with a new methodological database framework.
• The new domain will comprise new price concepts (e.g. consumer prices) with links different price datasets (e.g. input prices, output prices, trade unit values); this activity will include new derived indicators and value-chain analysis in agriculture.
• Expert Group on Cost of Production/Prices planned for March-June 2011.
2.7 Prices (ILO)
• The ILO, as a focal point for consumer price indices within the UN system, continues to:
i) collect and disseminate annual and monthly consumer price indices for some 200 countries and to produce and disseminate descriptions of the national methodologies underlying these indices;
ii) promote implementation of the international standards on CPI; and
iii) provide technical assistance to member States.
• The ILO continues to actively participate in the work of the Intersecretariat Working Group on Price Statistics (IWGPS).
i) As an agency responsible for the coordination of future revisions of the CPI Manual, ILO will continue maintaining the electronic version of the CPI manual on-line (see http://www.ilo.org/stat/index.htm). A number of chapters have already been updated. The webpage contains the original version, errata and the latest corrected version.
2.7 Prices (IMF)
Price Statistics
• The IMF participates in the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Price Statistics (IWGPS) and, the Technical Expert Group for Producer Price Indices (TEG-PPI) Program. The IMF continues to play a major role in the development and implementation of price statistics manuals, chairing the IWGPS in 2005 and 2006, publishing French and Spanish versions of the CPI Manual in 2006, Russian in 2007, and Chinese in 2008. The IMF edited and published the Export and Import Price Index Manual of the IWGPS in 2009, available in softcopy at http://www.imf.org/external/np/sta/tegeipi/index.htm. The IMF supports an initiative by the OECD to draft a House Price Index Handbook, following an OECD-IMF Workshop in 2006 on Real Estate Price Indices.
• The IMF maintains a presence in price index research and contributions to related manuals and handbooks, recent contributions including issues in hedonic indices, elementary index number formulas, real estate price indices, and the index of industrial production.
• The IMF will continue to conduct courses on consumer and producer price statistics, XMPIs, and core inflation.
• The IMF also conducts on-site missions to its member countries to assess the quality of their consumer and producer price indices and assist in their further development. The assessments are disseminated as data modules Report on Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs), as outlined in 2.2 above.
• The IMF provides technical assistance in price statistics to member countries through a variety of venues, including staff and expert missions to individual countries.
• The IMF collects and disseminates price statistics data on member countries through its International Financial Statistics publications and the DSBB, as well as providing hyperlinks to selected individual country data systems. Databases available to subscribers on CD-ROM include the following publications: International Financial Statistics (IFS) and the International Financial Statistics Yearbook.
• The monthly edition of IFS is available to subscribers on the Internet and the complete searchable IFS database has become available since January 2002.
• The IMF continued its contribution to the Technical Advisory Group of the International Comparisons Program (ICP) based at the World Bank. The ICP produces international price indices called purchasing power parities that allow comparison of GDP volume levels among countries for a benchmark year, most recently for 2005. In December 2007, the ICP issued purchasing power parities from its 2005 benchmark round that were subsequently used in the World Economic Outlook and IFS publications. The new price indices also were used in producing the ICP's GDP volume data for IMF member countries at purchasing power parity. The Fund is also participating in preparation for the upcoming 2011 round of the ICP and is contributing to its Handbook.
2.7 Prices (IWGPS)
Ongoing methodological work and priority objectives:
• Translation of the Practical Guide to Producing Consumer Price Indices into French and Spanish; the two language versions are available online from December 2010.
• Drafting of an international Handbook on Residential Property Price Indices, coordinated by Eurostat, under the auspice of the IWGPS.
• The meeting of the Group of Experts on Consumer Price Indices, organized by UNECE and ILO, took place in May 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The Ottawa Group on Price Indices will meet in May 2011 in New Zealand.
2.7 Prices (OECD)
Price Indicators
To provide a set of relevant, reliable, timely, monthly and quarterly price indices for internal and external users. To provide methodological information on these price indices.
Objectives and outputs
The 'Price Indices' dataset in the Main Economic Indicators (MEI) publication and database contains statistics on Consumer prices, Producer prices and Construction costs for 34 OECD member, Russian Federation, and 5 B(R)IICS countries. The data series presented within these subjects have been chosen as the most relevant prices statistics in the MEI database for which comparable data across countries is available. In all cases much effort has gone into ensuring international comparability and into the availability of historical time-series for analysis.
Organisation of Seminars to discuss methodological issues. A manual on real estate prices will be written.
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
• Organise a joint Eurostat-OECD Task Force for the revision of the Methodological guide for developing producer price indices for services with a view to finalising work in 2012.
• Calculate G20 aggregates for CPI
• Improve the dissemination of price indices
Data management:
• Harmonisation of metadata across countries and introduction of new inflation measures.
Purchasing Power Parities
Produce reliable and timely Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) data for OECD member countries. PPPs are an important tool to compare levels of real income or real output across countries with indicators such as GDP per capita and relative price levels between countries.
Objectives and outputs
• Calculation of final benchmark results for the round 2008
• Organisation of the data collection for the 2011 round which started in 2009 and covers 47 countries (30 OECD countries and 17 non-member countries).
• Work closely with Eurostat to further harmonise the methodology employed. Participate in the ad-hoc task forces set up by Eurostat to discuss various issues associated with PPPs.
• Provide technical input into the 2011 round of the ICP currently being organised by the World Bank.
• Work closely with ELS on developing a new methodology for health specific PPPs (publication of a WP on hospital price levels)
Purchasing Power Parities
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
• Finalise the methodology to calculate specific PPPs for health (to be implemented in 2012).
• Provide technical input into the 2011 round of the ICP currently being organised by the World Bank.
• Participation in a TF to update the Eurostat-OECD PPP manual.
2.7 Prices (Ottawa Group on Price Indices)
Price Statistics
Ongoing work:
• Applied research in the area of price indices, especially consumer price indices.
• Papers and proceedings available on the group's website, http://www.ottawagroup.org/. Otherwise links to website of latest host.
Priority objectives:
Undertake research with a view to providing advice to national statistical offices on:
1. Emerging issues in price indices including developments in weighting and calculation methodology as well as inclusion of new goods/services.
2. Procedures for dealing with quality change.
3. Price measurement for 'difficult-to-measure' such as insurance, health, legal services, financial services, apparel, cars, telecommunications and items subject to rapid technological change.
4. Use of scanner data to improve data quality and reduce price index compilation costs.
5. housing and residential property price indices.
6. international comparisons including the International Comparison Programme (ICP).
The Ottawa Group meets every second year. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 May 2011 in New Zealand. More information regarding the next meeting is available at http://www.stats.govt.nz/ottawa-group-2011.aspx.
2.7 Prices (UNCTAD)
Commodity Prices
Ongoing work:
• Data collection and processing: Update of the commodity prices database and calculation of price indices, using the year 2000 as base year. Dissemination of the data in UNCTADstat.
2.7 Prices (UNECE STAT)
Activity 5.3: Price indices
Description and objectives
Support development and implementation of internationally accepted standards and best practices in price statistics through international cooperation, methodological work and technical assistance, particularly in the South-East European and EECCA countries.
Activities and output
• Provide methodological and technical assistance on price statistics to SEE and EECCA countries to support implementation of internationally recommended practices.
• Serve as chair and secretariat of the Intersecretariat Working Group on Price Statistics (IWGPS).
• Contribute actively to the international work on price indices and international price index manuals, such as the CPI and PPI Manuals.
• Contribute to the production of the Handbook on Residential Property Price Indices.
• Maintain and update the electronic version of the Practical Guide to Producing Consumer Price Indices. A Supplementary Handbook to the Consumer Price Index Manual.
• Organise a regional Workshop on price indices for Central Asian and possibly other EECCA countries.
Organizations and groups involved
Intersecretariat Working Group on Price Statistics
Organising Committee of the Ottawa Group on Price Indices
2.7 Prices (World Bank)
International Comparison Programme
• The International Comparison Program (ICP) is a global statistical initiative which contributes substantially towards the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations by improving the reliability of estimates of those living in poverty and enabling more accurate comparisons of GDP and component levels across countries.
• The 2011 Round of the International Comparison Program has been leveraging on the successful implementation of the 2005 Round which, based on a concerted effort by international and national statistical agencies, was better planned, managed and coordinated than previous rounds. The ICP Global Office works to broaden the scope of the Program, streamline quality assessment processes, improve the economic relevance of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) estimates, ensure the sustainability of PPP deliveries, and enhance statistical capacity building activities related to the generation of ICP basic data with a specific focus on price statistics and the implementation of the System of National Accounts 1993/2008. The main objectives of the 2011 ICP are to better address users' needs; enhance the program's economic relevance by building on the assets of the previous round and through innovations and continuous improvements in ICP methodologies; enhance ICP-related statistical capacity building activities; increase data quality and reliability and make ICP a transparent process.
• In the CIS region, the World Bank collaborates with the Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States with the support of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat) to prepare and implement the ICP 2011 Round of the International Comparison Program.
• The Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States performs the functions of the regional coordinator for the 2011 ICP Round in the CIS region and advises the ICP Global Office accordingly. Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (Rosstat) acts as a partner institution in coordinating the program in the CIS region.
• The 43rd Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Statistical Services of the CIS was held in Minsk, Belarus, on August 23, 2010. The agenda of the meeting included the progress in the implementation of the International Comparison Program in the CIS region. It was followed by a technical seminar on August 23-24, 2010 to discuss methodological and organizational aspects with specific emphasis on price collection and processing as well as PPP computation. Two other workshops held in Moscow, Russia, in November 2010, focused respectively on the product list and the compilation and disaggregation of GDP.
• For more information, please see http://www.worldbank.org/data/icp.
2.8 Labour cost (CIS-STAT)
Labour cost, wages and salaries
• Preparation of a review (report) entitled: "Labour Costs in the Commonwealth Countries". Consultations with the CIS countries on improving the recording and analysis of wages and salaries will continue.
2.8 Labour cost (ECB)
• Compilation of the euro area negotiated wages indicator.
2.8 Labour cost (ILO)
Wage Statistics
Ongoing methodological work:
• A manual on measurement of wages will be prepared that will provide guidance concerning the various concepts of income related to employment (i.e. labour cost, earnings, wage rates, employment related income, employee income and income from self employment) and their relationships; and the different approaches to measuring wages through establishments, households and administrative records. This manual will be done in collaboration with other international organisations and with national statistical institutes.
• Training and technical assistance will continue to be provided.
Data collection:
• Up-to date data on average wages by sex and industry are available on the ILO statistical website (http://laborsta.ilo.org).
• The occupational wages part of the ILO October Inquiry (in which data are collected from all countries on wage rates and normal hours of work, and earnings and hours actually worked/paid for 159 occupations in 49 industry groups, by sex) is being revised in order to improve the range and quality of data collected.
• Data on current minimum wages and the legal framework are regularly compiled and are available on the ILO website at http://www.ilo.org/travaildatabase/servlet/minimumwages.
2.9 Science and technology (CIS-STAT)
Science and Technology Statistics
Ongoing work:
• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of the data provided annually by the national statistical services, as an interstate exchange, on the level and composition of expenditure on research and development and on the number of specialists engaged in scientific research activities.
• CIS-STAT will continue consulting national statistical services on arrangements for statistical observation of science and technology activities based on accepted international standards for science statistics.
• Preparation of annual report entitled: "Scientific Research and Scientists in the Commonwealth Countries".
2.9 Science and technology (Eurostat)
Theme 5.06 Science, technology and innovation
Official statistics on STI are vital in order to measure and understand growth based on knowledge, as well as to monitor progress towards the achievement of policy goals at national and EU levels.
Statistics developed under this theme provide a basis for the monitoring and benchmark exercise for the Europe 2020 strategy, the development of the European Research Area (ERA) and the Innovation Union Initiative. Further topics are the re engineering of research and innovation statistics and the possible integration of ICT statistics (see theme 5.07).
Fields of activities covered by the theme
• Production, dissemination and development of the Community Innovation Survey 2006-2010 (and beyond);
• Production, dissemination and development of the Research and Development statistics 2008-2010;
• Production and dissemination of the survey on Careers of Doctorate Holders (CDH) 2009 and decision on its follow-up;
• Production, dissemination and development of the Patent statistics based on PATSTAT data source from European Patent Office;
• Production and dissemination of the High Tech and Knowledge Intensive sectors statistics with their extensions;
• Conduction of feasibility studies and pilot data collections in the Science, Technology and Innovation statistics area including the rationalisation of the related surveys where adequate and possible;
• Developing new indicators for Commission strategy Europe 2020, European Research Area (ERA) and Innovation Union Initiative and managing and coordinating the related work.
1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2011
• ERA Indicators: develop a method for matching harmonized patent applicant names (firms) with harmonized firm names from financial databases for creating SME patenting indicators;
• Looking at the potential for R&D and European Union Innovation surveys re-design and search for synergies.
• Maintain and improve Eurostat's set of ERA indicators; coordinate actions, metadata, quality evaluation and communication towards Commission;
• Ensure the wide dissemination of CIS 2008 data and the related metadata;
• Ensure the regular production and dissemination of R&D and GBAORD (government budget appropriations or outlays on research and development) data and the related metadata with their envisaged extensions;
• Initiation of the revision of the Commission regulation (EC) No 753/2004 on Science and Technology;
• Process, validate and disseminate the CDH 2009 data with the related metadata;
• Evaluate of the CDH 2009 survey, its outcome and the follow-up actions drawn;
• Ensure the regular production and dissemination of patent data and the related metadata with their envisaged extensions;
• Ensure the regular production and dissemination of High Tech and Knowledge Intensive sectors' data and the related metadata with their envisaged extensions;
• Review of the classification of the High-Tech and Knowledge Intensive activities;
• Ensure the regular production and dissemination of Human Resources in Science and Technology data and the related metadata with their envisaged extensions;
• Initiate the development of the CIS 2012 with a project developing a harmonised survey questionnaire with all the supporting methodological documentation;
• Ensure the CIS 2010 conduct at the Member States with possible all the desired extensions.
2. Statistical work to be carried out by other DGs (including data collection from Member States) and/or EU agencies
• DG Research has initiated project in developing detailed and exhaustive methodology for serving further breakdowns of the GBAORD data (on public science budgets) both in joint and open public R&D programmes.
• DG Research has initiated several other projects to obtain statistical data complementary to what is provided by the European Statistical System in particular bibliometric data, data on licensing and national patents, supplementary foreign affiliates R&D data.
• DG Research will renew its contract to maintain, update and further develop its integrated STI database.
2.9 Science and technology (OECD)
Analytical Business Enterprise Research and Development
To provide a consistent and comparable data set across countries and over time on industrial R&D expenditures broken down by industry.
Objectives and outputs
The ANBERD (Analytical Business Enterprise Research and Development) database is continually revised to enhance the international comparability of time series on business enterprise R&D expenditure (BERD) by industry.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
China, Chinese Taipei, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa
Analytical Business Enterprise Research and Development (ANBERD)/ Analytical Researchers, Scientists and Engineers (ANRSE)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Country coverage was expanded in 2010, along with improved data processing and checking routines. In 2011, the estimation techniques for missing data in each country will be further reviewed.
To establish international standards for the collection of biotechnology data across OECD member countries.
Objectives and outputs
Under the auspices of the National Experts of Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) group, six Ad hoc Biotechnology Statistics meetings have been held to date. These meetings have achieved: an internationally agreed upon definition of biotechnology, a model survey for the collection of biotechnology data in member countries, and an inventory of biotechnology data collected in member and selected non-member countries.
OECD Biotechnology Statistics was released in 2009.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Additional countries to be added.
Careers of Doctorate Holders
Collect data on the labour market outcome and mobility of doctorate holders
Objectives and outputs
Collect data and update internal database, use data for analysis at the macro level, launch work using micro-data with interested countries, evaluate data collection and revise methodology accordingly
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Brazil, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russian Federation
Main Science and Technology Indicators
To publish biannually the most commonly used indicators on science and technology on an internationally comparable basis. The database and publication are regularly updated with 76 (paper publication) to 140 (electronic publication) data series presenting resources devoted to R&D and measures of output and the impact of S&T activities.
Objectives and outputs
This biannual publication provides a set of indicators that reflect the level and structure of the efforts undertaken by OECD member countries and 7 non-member economies in the field of science and technology. These data include final and provisional results as well as forecasts established by government authorities. The indicators cover the resources devoted to research and development, patent families, technology balance of payments and international trade in highly R&D intensive industries. Also presented are the underlying economic series used to calculate these indicators. Series are presented for a reference year and the last six years for which data are available (paper publication) and beginning 1981 (electronic editions).
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, China, Chinese Taipei, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa
Main Science and Technology Indicators
Main Developments for 2011
Data management:
MSTI database production system: migration from StatWorks to SAS software (2010-Q4)
Patent Statistics
To develop an international statistical infrastructure for patents (including databases and methodologies), which will provide the conditions for improving the quality and international comparability of patent indicators. Development of policy-relevant indicators from this work. Serves as a basis for policy relevant studies carried out within and outside OECD.
Objectives and outputs
The main objective is to develop patent databases suitable for calculating indicators for statistical and S&T policy purposes, covering patent filings to national and regional patent offices across the world.
Currently, the following patent statistics are collected and processed on a regular basis: indicators based on EPO (European Patent Office) patent; indicators based on USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) patents; indicators based on patent applications filed under the PCT (Patent Co-operation Treaty) and "triadic" patent families indicators. EPO and PCT data are also broken at the lowest regional level (NUTS3/TL3) for all OECD countries and selected economies.
Patent statistics are published in various publications: Main Science and Technology Indicators; OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard; OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook and in the Statistical compendium of the Innovation Strategy
"Measuring innovation: a new perspective".
The focus of the methodological work is to provide guidelines for compiling patent statistics and indicators, and to provide users with methodological information in a transparent manner. The following issues have been investigated: criteria for counting patent data; triadic patent families' definition; patent data for specific technology area; patent data by industry, patents by region and patent citations. The OECD Patent Statistics Manual 2009 provides further guidelines for analysing and building patent statistics in the framework of S&T indicators.
A matching exercise is currently being performed at the micro-data level, linking the patent data to the firm level databases (e.g. ORBIS database of Bureau van Dijk) using the patent applicant name. A database on harmonised patent applicant's names (HAN) was first made available to researchers in October 2009. It is currently being improved and expanded. Preliminary indicators at the firm level were presented and discussed at several meetings.
Similar work is also conducted for other intellectual property assets such as Trademarks.
Regular workshops on patent statistics are jointly organised by OECD, EPO, USPTO, JPO, WIPO and Eurostat.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Updating the existing patent database; extending the data coverage (i.e. to include information from more national patent offices); expand the exercise of harmonising patent applicant's names and matching with firm-level databases, development of further patent indicators (reflecting globalisation, specific technologies); development of citations indicators, development of further analytical applications of patent data, patents by industry.
Increased use by other directorates (e.g. ENV, GOV) expected in 2011.
Further work to develop Trademark data are also expected.
Another matching exercise will be conducted in order to link patent data (with the citations of non-patent literature) to scientific publication data (using Elsevier's SCOPUS database).
Research and Development (R&D) Statistics
To provide internal and external users with statistics on R&D expenditures and personnel and to ensure, through appropriate methodological work, the international comparability of corresponding national statistics.
Objectives and outputs
Management and/or development of internationally comparable statistics on resources devoted to R&D in member countries and in seven non-member economies based on the OECD international methodology for R&D survey, the "Frascati Manual". Diffusion of S&T statistics and corresponding metadata via the annual "R&D Statistics" and the biannual "Main S&T Indicators" publications and the on-line "R&D Sources and Methods database". The country coverage of OECD S&T databases and publications is being expanded to include comparable S&T indicators and statistics for non-member economies such as Argentina, China, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Chinese Taipei.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, China, Chinese Taipei, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa
Research and Development Statistics (RDS)
Main Developments for 2011
General aspects:
Plan to publish ISIC Rev. 4
Sources and Methods for Research and Development (R&D) Statistics
To meet demand for country-specific and item-specific methodology, this database relates principally to R&D as reported by the units performing the R&D in line with the standard methodology for R&D statistics recommended by OECD in the Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys of Research and Experimental Development - Frascati Manual (OECD).
Objectives and outputs
The database provides detail on methods used in the member countries and seven non-member economies when compiling the R&D data reported to OECD in the framework of the International Survey of the Resources devoted to R&D by OECD countries, underlining both current and historical national specificities of the data stored in the OECD STI/EAS R&D database.
The sources and methods are regularly updated as part of the International Survey of the Resources devoted to R&D by OECD countries. The Secretariat has made this database available on line either through the NESTI-NET: http://webdomino1.oecd.org/COMNET/STI/NESTI-NET.nsf/Welcome?openframeset, or via http://webnet.oecd.org/rd_gbaord_metadata/default.aspx where delegates and the public are able to consult.
Selected metadata are regularly published in "Research and Development Statistics" (annual electronic publication) as well as in "Main Science and Technology Indicators" (paper and electronic publication appearing twice yearly). This information was also used as input to the revision of the "Frascati Manual", the international standard methodology for the measurement of resources devoted to R&D.
Non-member countries involved in the activity:
Argentina, China, Chinese Taipei, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa
R&D_SM database
2.9 Science and technology (UNESCO)
Research and Development, Human Resources in Science and Technology and Innovation
Work Programme
The current programme of the UIS includes:
• Collection and publication of data on research and development (R&D) from all countries in the world in co-ordination with the OECD, Eurostat and RICYT;
• A pilot collection of innovation data from about 15 developing countries;
• Development of guidelines on how to conduct R&D surveys in developing countries;
• Promotion of a model survey of doctorate holders in a joint project with OECD and Eurostat;
• Publications on international mobility among researchers and the results of the 2010 R&D data collection.
Ongoing methodological work
• Preparation of guidelines on how to conduct R&D surveys in developing countries, including the development of a model questionnaire, and the revision of concepts used for S&T Education and Training (STET) and S&T Services (STS).
Priority objectives beyond 2011:
• Continuation of the biennial UIS R&D survey;
• Establishment of a global collection of innovation data conducted on a biennial basis;
• Continuation of capacity building activities;
• Methodological guidance for developing countries on the collection of R&D and innovation data;
• Analysis of STI indicators.
New work to be undertaken in 2011:
• Pilot collection of innovation data;
• Publications on international mobility of researchers and the results of the 2010 R&D data collection;
• Processing and disseminating R&D metadata;
• Developing a model innovation survey in cooperation with RICYT.
Meetings to be organized in 2011:
• Capacity building workshops in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean;
• Expert Meeting on innovation surveys in Montreal.