Accuracy and reliability

Overall accuracy

There have been no measurements of the magnitude of revisions, etc.

In general, the quality of data has improved significantly with the use of the new eIncome source. Previously, the WTA was calculated by combining a multitude of different sources. After the reorganization in 2012 the WTA is based primarily on eIndkomst sources. This is the same basic data for most of the sources included in the WTA, which ensures a high degree of internal consistency. In addition, the date markers, for when a job is active, have become much more precise, both in the annual structural statistics on jobs and employment at the end of November and the distribution over the year. Industry and sector rankings in eIncome are based on current work locations of employees. This is significantly more accurate than the projections underlying the former WTA. Hours statements have become much more precise, both because the date markers for when the job is active have become much more precise, but also because of eIncome now have a total population of employee relationships in Danish enterprises including reports on number of paid hours of work.

Not only has there been a significant quality improvement related to the transition to eIncome. Over time, the eIncome register have also been improved. Thus, a quality measure for the calculation of hours worked is the proportion of hours paid in eIncome that have been imputed because they have either not been reported or because they have proved to be invalid:

In general, there is a tendency that more and more report information on hours paid to eIncome, which guarantees a better quality over time. Furthermore, the guidelines from the tax authorities on the reporting of hours paid to eIncome have become more clear, and the precision and knowledge of concepts are increased in the reporting over time so that, for example, the reporters become aware that unpaid absences are not to be included in the reported hours paid.

Sampling error

Not applicable to this statistic.

Non-sampling error

Some reports to eIncome for employees lack information on hours paid or the reported information has been found to be invalid. Therefore, imputed (estimated) paid hours of work for these reports.

It is assumed in the WTA, that the end of November employment in RAS and number of jobs in ERE statistics equal the average employment (number of jobs) per. day in November. This is done because daily information on employment and the number of jobs are not available.

The structural statistics RAS and ERE statistics determine the WTA levels for each variable. Short-term statistics are used to project these levels over the year. Only the categories where there are non-missing figures in the RAS / ERE statistics will be projected. If the value is below 200 primary jobs, respectively 100 secondary jobs at the end of November, this level will be kept constant over the year (projection factor = 1). Are there too few observations in BFL category over the year the development from BFL at a more aggregate level is used (typically from a more aggregated industry level).

When the LFS is used to adjust for how much more self-employed and assisting spouses work compared to employees, it is not possible for us to take into account that the self-employed has a tendency to overstate their report more than employees do.

Quality management

Statistics Denmark follows the recommendations on organisation and management of quality given in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and the implementation guidelines given in the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF). A Working Group on Quality and a central quality assurance function have been established to continuously carry through control of products and processes.

Quality assurance

Statistics Denmark follows the principles in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and uses the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF) for the implementation of the principles. This involves continuous decentralized and central control of products and processes based on documentation following international standards. The central quality assurance function reports to the Working Group on Quality. Reports include suggestions for improvement that are assessed, decided and subsequently implemented.

Quality assessment

The margins of statistical uncertainty associated with the Working Time Accounts are related to the statistical uncertainty of the individual primary statistical data that are used. The conceptual consistency and the uniform adaptation of sources over time contribute to a reduction of the margins of statistical uncertainty in the Working Time Accounts. Especially, the juxtaposition of information from the primary sources in a joint system of the Working Time Accounts implies that the results will automatically be compared and thereby reveal any errors and inherent problems of consistency in the basic concepts and data. These errors and inconsistencies are reported back to the primary sources. The work on integrating statistical systems will thus be instrumental in enhancing the general data quality of the primary statistical data.

For a description of the statistical uncertainty of the primary sources, see the respective Documentation of statistics:

• Register-based Labour Force Statistics RAS
• Establishment-related Statistics on Employment ERE statistics
• The Structural Earning Statistics
• The Labour Force Survey LFS
• Employment Statistics for Employees

Self-employed and assisting spouses make up the group for whom the lowest quality of data is available on number of jobs (with activity over 1 weekly working hour), length of job (duration of each individual job) and number of hours worked in each individual job in the data sources.

When the LFS is applied in adjusting how many more hours are worked by self-employed and assisting spouses compared to hours worked by employees, it is impossible for us to take into account that there is a tendency for self-employed to overstate, to a greater extent, than is the case for employees. It would be extremely subjective, if we were to introduce a factor for the extent of this overstatement made by the self-employed compared to the employees. However, we have an assumption that this overstatement is greatest in cases where the workplace for the self-employed (and the assisting spouse) is the residence of the self-employed, as it must be assumed that the relation between working time and leisure time becomes more blurred. This applies, especially, to employment in agriculture, etc. and small businesses in retailing and hotels and restaurants.

In eIncome information is reported with regard to paid hours in the jobs in the individual reference month. The quality of this information naturally reflects the quality of the the data reports. Generally, we think that the information has a high quality. However, particularly related to the data on unpaid hours of absence and overtime hours there may be quality problems in the primary data of the eIncome register. Some problems have been revealed with respect to data reports of paid hours for employees paid by the month who are not paid for in periods of absence. This has, particularly, applied during the first couple of years with eIncome. When the respondents become aware that the number of hours worked has to be changed in the case of unpaid absence and the respondents then suddenly begin to report this information correctly, it has subsequently an impact on the projection of hours throughout the year and the development from one year to another. Unfortunately, the awareness of this reporting of hours does not occur simultaneously for everybody, but happens gradually, and this is the reason why it can be difficult to find these erroneous data reports in the production system and rectify these backwards in time. In connection with the publication of WTA 2012Q4 in March 2013, such erroneous data reported to eIncome for salaried employees in municipalities and regions have been adjusted backwards in time (for the period January 2008 to August/September 2011). This has been carried out by using monthly data reported to the statistics on earnings with regard to hours of absence for which employees do not receive any pay. The hourly data of the statistics on earnings are distributed in greater detail than is the case for hourly data reported to eIncome.

In connection with publication of the Working Time Accounts (WTA) (1st quarter 2015 and annul WTA 2014), corrections have been made with regard to the missing entitlement to earned holiday pay during the lockout of school teachers in the spring of 2013. The missing entitlement to earned holiday pay rights has had an impact on paid hours of work in eIncome (and thereby statistics on employees in employment and public sector employment statistics), but due to the circumstance that there is a real fall in the number of paid hours of work, corrections are not to be made in the statistics on employees in employment as well as public sector employment statistics. However, the missing entitlement to earned holiday pay in the WTA does not have an impact on the number of hours worked, as the school teachers – for this reason – have not worked fewer hours than they would normally have done.

Furthermore, with respect to the statistics published in June 2013, adjustments have been made to the development in the number of hours worked for persons who are transferred from the former flex job scheme to the new flex job scheme. A new flex job scheme has been established, which has opened up the possibility to be transferred to this scheme as from 1 January 2013, which has an impact on the number of hours worked, so that instead of receiving full-time pay in accordance with the former flex job scheme, the new flex job scheme implies that pay is only received for the number of hours worked and is subsequently refunded by the municipality with regard to the number of hours for which worked has not been performed for the employer (consequently, these hours are excluded from the employment statistics). This implies that there is a change in the data reported with regard to the number of hours worked for persons working in flex jobs, so that fewer hours of work are reported in accordance with the new flex job scheme. Adjustments are not needed with regard to the statistics on employees in employment and public sector employment statistics as the hourly concept applied here is paid hours of work. However, in connection with publication of the WTA in June 2013, the statistics were subjected to adjustments with respect to the number of hours worked in order to reduce, to the greatest possible extent, the administrative break in the data series, so that the persons who have participated in the former flex job scheme but are transferred to the new flex job scheme, maintain in the WTA their number of hours worked from the former scheme. Persons who only appear in the new flex job scheme will not be subjected to adjustments, as we have no idea of a fictitious number of hours worked, if they had participated in the former flex job scheme. Neither are persons who only appear in the former flex job scheme subjected to adjustments.

Until now, it has not been possible to apply short-term sources for analyzing leave during the year, one reason is that it has not yet been possible to unequivocally decide when the information on leave stems from employment and when the information relate to persons who are not economically active. When WTA incorporate data from the Danish Labour Market Account, we will be better at analyzing the development of leave stemming from employment over the year. Incorporating a better description of leave from employment during the year in the WTA is scheduled to 2015/2016.

It is assumed in the WTA that persons on leave have not performed any hours worked. This assumption has been made, because we are unable to analyze, to a greater degree, the number of hours worked during leave, although it is, in principle, possible to be on, e.g. part-time maternity leave in Denmark.

The holidays with variable dates are of great importance to the number of hours worked. WTA seasonally adjusts with a model that as well as possible take into account the location of the holidays. In spite of this, the timing of Easter in 2015 right at the beginning of the second quarter implies that there is more uncertainty than usually in the seasonally adjusted hours worked from the first to the second quarter 2015.

There are no uncertainty calculations.

Data revision - policy

Statistics Denmark revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics Denmark. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice.

Data revision practice

The Quarterly Working Time Accounts will be currently published in accordance with Statistics Denmark's specialized goals of timeliness, which with respect to the quarterly statistics implies not later than by the end of the subsequent quarter.

Data on employment for employees is available from both the provisional version as well as from a final version, and consequently the two most recent quarters will be subject to revision in conjunction with the compilation of each quarterly statistic.

When new structural data are incorporated (register of employment statistics and structural statistics on earnings) in connection with the compilation of the Annual Working Time Accounts, the levels as from this year will be revised, i.e. also during the entire period of projection. When the structural data are incorporated, the data in the Working Time Accounts are considered to be final.

However, data in the Working Time Accounts can be subject to revision as a result of updated values in the primary sources, in the case of methodological changes or use of new information and sources.