25th April 2012 SASG

Monitoring ESS Guidelines on Seasonal Adjustment Implementation

Pilar Rey del CastilloUnit B1 Quality, Methodology and Research

25th April 2012 SASG

Assessing the degree of compliance with the SA Guidelines

Study by Eurostat unit G3 based on the self-assessment of the

STS filled in by the reporting countries in June 2011.

SA Guidelines 3 sets of alternatives:

– (A) Best approach to be aimed at,

– (B) Acceptable option, especially when first alternative is resources

intensive,

– (C) Practices to be avoided.

And 6 chapters or items referring to different issues on SA

2

25th April 2012 SASG 3

Number of countries reporting complete A or B

compliance with the 2008 SA Guidelines

Series Countries1. Pretreat-

ment

2. Seasonal Adjust-

ment

3. Revision policies

4. Quality of SA

5. Specific issues

6. Data presen-tation

Industrial production

EU- 27 23 24 23 13 14 18

6 biggest 6 5 5 4 4 5

Industrial New Orders

EU- 27 10 11 10 6 5 9

6 biggest 2 2 2 2 1 2

Construction Production

EU- 27 20 21 21 10 13 16

6 biggest 5 5 5 4 4 5

Building PermitsEU- 27 2 2 3 3 2 4

6 biggest 0 0 1 1 1 1

Deflated turnover in retail trade

EU- 27 21 19 19 11 12 18

6 biggest 5 3 3 2 2 4

Turnover in other services

EU- 27 18 16 14 10 9 15

6 biggest 5 4 3 3 2 4

25th April 2012 SASG 4

85%

15% 11%

89%

15%

85%52%

48% 48%52%

33%

67%

63%

37%

59%41%

63%

37%

78%

22%

81%

19%

67%

33%

7%

93%

7%

93%

11%

89%

11%

89%

7%

93%

15%

85%

1. Pre- treatment

2. Seasonal Adjustment

3. Revision policies

4. Quality of SA

5. Specific issues

6. Data presentatio

n

Industrial Production

Industrial new orders

Building permits

25th April 2012 SASG

Summary

Results far from optimal

But:

– Not a legal requirement

– Some countries perform Seasonal Adjustment and do not

want to publish (or send to Eurostat) the figures

Only STS, not updated information available about

MSs National Accounts or other series

5

25th April 2012 SASG

Many thanks!!