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Registers as a source for labour Registers as a source for labour market data in the Norwegian market data in the Norwegian National AccountsNational Accounts

Ann Lisbet Brathaug

abr@ssb.no

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Estimation approach

• Three basic employment concepts– Employed persons– Full-time equivalent persons– Total hours worked

• Main objective is to obtain consistency between employment figures, wages and compensation of employees

• Total hours worked is estimated by using information on hours worked in each industry, by adding overtime and subtracting hours of absence (vacation, sickness absence etc).

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Sources

• Labour Force Survey (LFS)

• Register-based employment statistics

• Central statistics on sickness absence

• Enterprise/establishment surveys (structural business statistics)

• Central and local government accounts

• Survey-based wage statistics

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Central register on employees

• The National Insurance Administration is responsible for maintaining the register

• The coverage is extended considerably in recent years, by supplementing information from other administrative sources as

– the Central Register of Establishment and Enterprises– the End of the Year Certificate Register (complete EYC is submitted to the

Tax Directorate each year)– the register of conscripts– the register of Personal Tax Payers (covering self-employed)

• The LFS is important, as the total number of employed persons in the register based employment statistics is adjusted to the total number of employees and self-employed in the LFS the same quarter

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Problems related to register-based employment

• Estimates for 4th quarter not always equivalent to averages for the whole year

• Problems concerning persons who work only occasionally

• Inconsistency between numbers of employees in the registers and compensation of employees (surveys) and wages and salaries

• Non-resident employees not covered by registers

• Changes and improvements in the registers have reduced comparability over time

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Employed persons estimated in the national accounts and in the register-based employment statistics. 4th quarter. 1000

2002 2003 2004

National accounts 2296 2280 2295

Register-based employment statistics*

2267 2260 2274

Difference 29 20 21

Non-residents estimated in the national accounts

25 25 24

Statistical discrepancy

4 -5 -3

* Consistent with the number of employees and self-employed in the LFS.