Assessment of the Non-Observed Economy in Albania

Assessing the Feasibility of Micro-Data Access Options for SBS Nadim Ahmad, Statistics Directorate, OECD 1 Background Increasing desire for micro-data access in analysis and policy formulation, accelerated by cheaper and faster computer power ......which in turn have increased capacity and potential for NSOs to provide access. Conservative rules relating to access however have led users to conduct own surveys = additional costs on users & respondents, and, so, the economy, which are often of lower quality than micro-data held by NSOs =

risks of inappropriate policy measures & of NSOs being overtaken by events or marginalised. 2 The OECDs Feasibility Study - Options Overview Snap shot indicators Longitudinal indicators Bilateral projects Remote Access Transmission of micro-data Accessing private data sets 3 Tentative Conclusions That the OECD should utilise networks to

collect/construct indicators based on micro-data (Options I and II) With a view to considering remote access solutions for the medium/longer term. Creating a meta-data bank of micro-data, relating in the first instance to business statistics 4 Implications for business statisticians For the OECD to develop with NSOs/analysts a list of indicators that could be produced without compromising confidentiality.

E.g. for business statistics providing information relating to distributions, variances, standard deviations. Kurtosis, medians: broken down by size class, ISIC. 5 Current Indicators

Turnover Production at producers prices and/or factor costs Value added at basic prices and/or factor costs Gross operating surplus Total purchases of goods and services Change in stocks of goods and services Purchases of energy products Gross investment in tangible goods Gross investment in land Gross investment in existing buildings and structures Gross investment in machinery and equipment

Sales of tangible investment goods Employment, number of persons engaged and number of employees Employment, number of females employees Employment, number of employees in full time equivalent units Hours worked by employees Compensation of labour, all persons engaged and employees Wages and salaries, all persons engaged and employees Other employers social contributions, employees Number of enterprises and/or establishments 6 Composite indicators

Extending the distribution statistics to composite indicators: (Hirschman-Herfindhal) concentration indices; Labour productivity, (arguably maximum and minimums too). Labour/Capital ratios, (maximum and minimums); Labour productivity growth; Standard regression coefficients, for example linking output to labour and capital using KLEMS type production functions; Operating surplus/employment ratios; Turnover/Output ratios; Social contributions % of total compensation; New high-growth measures (session 2b); Growth more generally Brainstorming (quartiles etc, higher ISIC aggregates, foreign ownership, exports, imports) 7

Commercial Sources Proposal Investigation of Amadeus/Orbis Tentative conclusions are that these are useful sources for micro-data analysis But issues relate to representivity Proposal is to benchmark (and gross-up) Amadeus data to SBS statistics on basis of size, ISIC, legal form and location (views on feasibility, obstacles etc) 8