Turnover index

Results and their publication

The EU-harmonised national turnover index (current base year 2005=100) for industries and construction is calculated and published at the level of divisions, subsections and Sections B to F of ÖNACE 2008 and for five main industrial groupings (aggregation of economic sectors that primarily produce intermediate goods, energy, capital goods, consumer durables or non-durables) beginning with reference period 01/1996. In parallel, time series according to the old ÖNACE 2003 were made available till reference period 12/2008. From reference period 01/2009 results are only available according to the new ÖNACE 2008.

In addition to an index of total turnover, indices of turnover from the domestic or foreign market are also calculated, with the foreign turnover index being further subdivided into a euro area and non-euro area index as of the base year 2005.

Initial preliminary results are published 55 days after the end of the reference period, and revised values are published after 85 days. EU-harmonised working-day adjusted and seasonally adjusted series and trend series have been compiled since spring 2005 and are available to 1996 backwards according to the new ÖNACE 2008. For the seasonally and working-day adjusted series, there may be slight (methodologically justified) deviations to the entire time series for each new reporting month as a result of EU-harmonised adjustment. The exact dates of publication can be found in the publication calendar (available in German only). Current figures are also published monthly in the Statistical Monitoring Reviews (available in German only), the ISIS database (available in German only), the STATAS statistical table system (available in German only) and on the Eurostat website. The old base year 2000 = 100 will continue to be calculated and published in parallel until December 2007.

Definition

The EU-harmonised turnover comprises all amounts that are charged to domestic and/or foreign customers by enterprises recorded in the context of the Short Term Statistics Survey, and includes revenue from trade goods. Turnover taxes are not included, although other consumption taxes (such as mineral oil tax, tobacco tax, etc.) are. It shows the results of economic activities, provided that the goods produced are sold to customers and subsidiary companies. Movements within these turnover value indices cannot be subdivided into movements that are caused by changes in quantity and movements that are caused by price changes.

The turnover index has been calculated and published in accordance with the EU-harmonised definition of variables since February 2002. The difference in definition is that revenue from trade goods is included in the EU-harmonised turnover index. Retrograde calculations for the harmonised definition of variables were performed until January 1996 with the base year 1995=100, and can be obtained on request from STATISTICS AUSTRIA. In order to avoid creating gaps in the old index series with the base year 1995=100, the old turnover index was continued in parallel until the index was rebased using the base year 2000=100. As of the base year 2000=100, only the harmonised definition of variables is used, which also applies to the new base year 2005.

The terms “euro area” and “non-euro area” refer to the following countries: euro area: EU states in the euro area (excluding Austria), which comprise Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta and, as of 2009, Slovakia (adjustments of the base according to the new members of the euro area took place); non-euro area: all EU states that are not in the euro area, and all third countries.

Scope and representativity

The Short Term Statistics Surveys in industries and construction, which have been conducted at monthly intervals since January 1996, provide the underlying data for the turnover index. Essentially, data from all Short Term Statistics Survey units is incorporated into the index calculation, with the result that the representativity of the indices calculated is predetermined by the scope of the Short Term Statistics Surveys. According to the principle of a concentration survey, the Surveys take account only of those establishments and enterprises in the industries and construction sector (ÖNACE Sections B to F) that have a minimum number of employees on a common survey date of the previous year (applicable to all months of the given year), respectively since reference year 2008 turnover exceed a certain threshold (as long as thresholds for employees did not reach representativity criteria). Since the base 2000 ÖNACE divisions with fluctuating employee numbers, respectively with fluctuating turnover (since reference year 2008), standardised and constant workforce limits for the index calculation and its homogenous progression have been defined in order to ensure stable observation masses. In case also adjustments of the base take place.

Implementation of the ÖNACE 2008

According to the revision of the new statistical classifications of economic activities within the “Operation 2007” and the amendment of the national short term statistic regulation a number of substantial adoptions to the monthly Short Term Statistics in industries and construction took place since the reference year 2008. These adoptions like new demarcation of the scope or taking into account the new thresholds since the reference period 01/2008 lead also to methodological changes for the calculation of the short term indicators. An article on this topic will be published in the “Statistischen Nachrichten” in 2009.

Time series from 1996 to 2004 of base 1995=100 and 2000=100 were reclassified according to the new statistical classifications of economic activities ÖNACE 2008 and rebased to the base 2005=100 for all breakdowns. From reference period January 2005 new calculations were made.

Calculation

The Laspeyres index concept is used for the calculation. To perform the index calculation, index numbers are formed according to ÖNACE groups, divisions, sections and subsections as well as use categories by dividing the result for a particular month by the monthly average for the base year (currently 2005=100).

Adjustment for seasonal variation and working time makes it easier to interpret the time series by eliminating seasonal influences and standardising monthly figures regarding working days. Data is adjusted in accordance with EU-harmonised guidelines using the program X-12 RegARIMA. As a result of EU-harmonised adjustment, methodological factors may – with each new month under review – cause slight deviations in the entire time series for series adjusted for seasonal variation and working time.

In accordance with the EU regulation concerning short term statistics, the short term indicators specified in the regulation are to be rebased every five years – i.e. in years ending with a 0 or a 5. Therefore the indicators were rebased in September 2007 using the new base year 2005=100.

Other methodological explanatory notes (available in German only)

• Statistische Nachrichten 02/2009: Austrian Statistical Classification of Activities-ÖNACE 2008
• Statistische Nachrichten 11/2007: Revision of STS-indicators - new base year 2005=100 (PDF 668KB)
• Statistische Nachrichten 06/2005: Adjustment of the production index and of the turnover index in industries and construction for seasonal variation and working time (PDF 663KB)
• Statistische Nachrichten 10/2003, p. 776 ff.: Short term indicators in industries and construction: new base year 2000=100 (PDF 663KB)
• Statistische Nachrichten 10/1997, p. 866 ff.: New indices in industries – concepts and basic methodological principles
• Short term indicators 2000=100: production and services
• Short term indicators in industries and construction 1995=100, issue no. 1 315
• Short term statistics in industries and construction 2008 - Volume 1: Results at enterprise and establishment level, and indices