Russian Federation - 1

Title of the survey

Report on Employment, Wages and Workers' Mobility.

Organization responsible

State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics (GOSKOMSTAT).

Periodicity of the survey

Monthly in the case of large and medium size organisations;

Quarterly in the case of small enterprises.

Objectives of the survey

To obtain data on the number of workers engaged and on average accrued wages in enterprises and organisations, by sector and region, for the use of administrative and executive authorities, specialists and the general public, and for purposes of economic analysis.

Main labour topics covered by the survey

Employment, hours of work, accrued earnings and social benefits, and labour turnover.

Reference period

For employment and earnings: the whole month, in the case of large and medium-size enterprises and organisations; the quarter, six months, nine months and the year, in the case of small enterprises;

For hours of work: the quarter, six months, nine months and the year (data for small enterprises have been collected since 1998 only).

Coverage of the survey

Geographical

The whole country.

Industrial

All branches of economic activity

Establishments

All types and sizes of enterprises and organisations.

Persons

All employees receiving wages or salaries in an enterprise or organisation. Expatriate workers and unpaid contributing family workers are excluded.

Occupations

This survey does not collect data by occupation (see under Other sources of data).

Concepts and definitions

Employment

Three categories of employees are separately identified:

Employees on payroll: all employees aged 15 years and over working under an employment contract and performing work on a permanent, temporary or seasonal basis for at least one day, and working directors receiving a salary.
Persons with more than one job who work for a particular enterprise, establishment or organisation, but whose main employment is with another organisation;
Persons performing work under civil law contracts.

All employees are covered, whether they are at work or absent from work, provided they receive pay.

Excluded from employees are laid-off workers and persons absent from work because of military service.

Earnings

Data are collected on gross earnings, i.e. all accrued payments in cash and in kind before deduction of employees' income tax and other statutory deductions, irrespective of the source (fund) of payment, but excluding social benefits from public and non-public extrabudgetary funds.

Gross earnings include:

direct wages and salaries for normal time worked or work done, premium pay for overtime, shift, night or holiday work, allowances for special working conditions, bonuses and gratuities paid regularly (e.g. production bonuses, incentive pay, etc.), cost-of-living/dearness allowances, housing allowances and additional payments over and above the basic wage and salary scales,
remuneration for time not worked (holidays, vacation, sick-leave, other time off with pay),
irregular bonuses and gratuities (e.g. seasonal, year-end and similar bonuses and profit-sharing bonuses), and
the value of payments in kind (for food and drink, fuel, free or subsidised housing).

Excluded are transport and family allowances paid directly by the employer, which are treated as social benefits.

Earnings data are collected for each of the three categories of employees.

Wage / salary rates

Not relevant.

Hours of work

Data are collected on hours actually worked by (i) workers on payroll and (ii) workers with more than one job, as defined above. Data on hours of work of workers employed under civil law contracts are not collected.

Hours actually worked include paid and unpaid hours actually worked during normal periods of work and overtime, as well as short inactive periods of time spent at the work-place or for preparation, repairs, maintenance of workplace, tools, reports, etc., tea or coffee breaks, study/training periods, trade union activities, etc.

All other periods of time are excluded (e.g. periods while workers are waiting or standing by due to economic or other reasons, work stoppages due to industrial disputes, and all inactive periods spent outside the workplace, for vacation, holidays, rest days, any type of leave, commuting time, etc.)

Data on hours of work and the use of working time are collected quarterly; in small enterprises they have been collected since 1998 only.

International recommendations

The definitions of gross earnings in cash and in kind and hours actually worked conform to the international guidelines.

Classifications

Industrial

The classification used is the All-Russia Classification of Branches of the Economy (OKONKh. For purposes of codification, 250 branch codes are used for large and medium-size enterprises and 60 codes for small enterprises.

Annual data on employment and earnings are classified according to the national classification OKDP, which is similar to the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC), Rev. 3.

From 1999 onwards, employment and earnings data based on the OKDP will be produced quarterly.

Occupational

Not relevant.

Others

Data are classified by type of ownership (KFS) and region according to the All-Russia Classification of Administrative-Territorial Divisions (OKATO).

Sample size and design

Statistical unit

The sampling and reporting unit is the enterprise or organisation (i.e. legal entities) or separate divisions of legal entities.

Survey universe / sample frame

The universe consists of the Unified State Directory of Enterprises and Organisations (EGRPO), complemented with information on enterprises contained in statements of accounts and administrative forms (e.g. the monthly survey form P-4). It covers all active enterprises and organisations and is updated once a year.

Sample design

Large and medium-size enterprises and organisations, or their divisions, are covered by complete enumeration.

Sampling is used in the case of small enterprises which are stratified by region (79), branch of economic activity (60), form of ownership (4) and enterprise size (4). A 20% sample (153,000 small enterprises) is drawn from the sample frame and the sample is completely renewed each year.

Field work

Data collection

Regional statistics departments collect data by mail. The survey forms are collected by the 15th of the month following the reporting period (for large and medium-size enterprises and organisations), and by the 29th of the month following the reporting period in the case of small enterprises.

Survey questionnaire

It collects the following data:

Number of employees by category;
Total wage fund (wage bill);
Total amount of social benefits for the current month, the previous month and the corresponding month of the previous year;
Total number of hours actually worked, by employee category, since the beginning of the year and for the quarter;
Labour turnover and enterprise's expectations of staff release, for the quarter and since the beginning of the year.

Detailed instructions are provided to all reporting units.

Substitution of sampling units

Sampling units where there is total non-response are not replaced.

Data processing and editing

Data are processed by computer. Responses are coded according to the various classifications and data are edited during data collection and through machine-editing programmes. In cases of missing or inconsistent data, respondents are contacted by telephone. Arithmetical and logical programme checks are carried out.

Types of estimates

Monthly totals and averages.

Average monthly earnings are obtained by dividing the total gross accrued wage fund by the average number of employees.

Part-time workers are converted to full-time equivalents by the responding units.

For small enterprises, missing or incomplete answers are imputed using the hot deck method.

Construction of indices

Index numbers are not constructed.

Weighting of sample results

For the sample part of the survey covering small enterprises, weights are allocated to the sampled enterprises according to estimates of sales proceeds based on statements of accounts. The survey results are then multiplied by each enterprise weight.

Adjustments

Non-response

Adjustments are made using the hot deck method.

Other bias

Adjustments are made for establishments registered during the reference period.

Use of benchmark data

Not relevant.

Seasonal variations

The results are not seasonally adjusted.

Indicators of reliability of the estimates

Coverage of the sampling frame

The sampling frame is assumed to cover all active enterprises and organisations.

Sampling error / sampling variance

In the case of small establishments, the sampling variance is computed for employment and earnings data, for the quarter, six-month and nine-month periods and the year.

Non-response rate

Between 30 and 50% in the case of small enterprises.

Non-sampling errors

Checking and editing procedures are used to minimise non-sampling errors.

Conformity with other sources

The data are checked against data for the previous period of the current year and the corresponding period of the previous year.

Available series

Published tables include:

monthly data on average accrued wages and social benefits by branch of economic activity; rates of change over the previous month and the corresponding month of the previous year;
monthly data on the number of filled vacancies;
quarterly data on the use of working time;
quarterly data on recruitment, dismissals and proposed lay off.

History of the survey

Regular reporting on employment, earnings, the use of working time, etc. has a long history in the Russian Federation. Since 1992, data have been collected from small enterprises and sampling of these small enterprises was introduced in 1995.

Some changes have been made in the survey form and the composition of the indicators, as well as in the definition of small enterprises.

It is planned to introduce additional checking procedures of the survey results (e.g. for aggregates and other indicators).

Documentation

GOSKOMSTAT: Statistical collections and reports on the social and economic situation of the Russian Federation (monthly, quarterly in the case of small enterprises, and annual);

idem: Socio-economic position in Russia (monthly, Moscow);

idem: Current Statistical Survey (quarterly, ibid.).

The survey results are released about four weeks after the reference period.

They are simultaneously released to all interested parties on the following Web-site: http://www.gks.ru

idem: Handbook Russia ('99) (annual, ibid.);

Data can also be made available on diskette, upon request.

Confidentiality / Reliability criteria

Details in respect of individual enterprises are strictly confidential.

Other information

Data supplied to the ILO for publication

The following data are published in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics:

Average weekly hours actually worked by employees,

Average monthly accrued earnings of employees, by economic activity, and in manufacturing, by industry group.

The corresponding monthly series of average monthly earnings are published in the relevant tables of the Bulletin of Labour Statistics.

Other sources of data

(1) Report on accumulated wage arrears: Since 1994, GOSKOMSTAT of Russia conducts a monthly survey entitled Report on accumulated wage arrears. The objective of this survey is to obtain data on total wage arrears owed to workers (including arrears resulting from lack of budget funding) by economic activity and area, with a view to providing information to the authorities as a basis for their decisions and for economic analysis.

This survey covers the whole country and the following economic activities: industry, construction, agriculture, transport, education, health care, social security, arts and culture, science, housing, public utilities, state administration of territories of the Russian Federation, and municipal administrations. All large and medium-size enterprises and organisations are covered (small enterprises are excluded), based on the Business Directory EGRPO.

Data are collected on the total amount of wages, salaries and social benefits, including additional and supplementary payments in addition to basic wages and salaries, which are due to all employees in these enterprises and organisations.

The reports are based on a complete enumeration of enterprises and organisations and the resulting data are classified according to 43 activity codes of the All-Russia Classification of Branches of the Economy. The survey method is the same as that of the Monthly Report on Employment, Wages and Workers' Mobility.

Totals and averages of accumulated wage arrears are computed, as well as a running total for the first of each month and separately for the last month for which wages were paid. The statistics appear in the same publications as the results of the Monthly Report on Employment, Wages and Workers' Mobility.

(2) Report on workers' average wages and hours worked during the month of October: This survey on earnings, wage rates and hours of work by occupation is conducted every two years.

Coverage of the survey

Geographical

The whole country, except the Chechen Republic and the Ingush Republic.

Industrial

14 selected groups of economic activities according to the All Russia Classification of Branches of the Economy (OKONKh) - i.e. petroleum, oil refining and natural gas industries; underground coal mining; ferrous metallurgy (excluding ore mining and processing); petrochemical industry (excluding rubber and tyre production); bread baking industry; cheese, butter and dairy production; air transport; communications (excluding post/mail); construction (general construction organisations); drilling; health care (i.e. treatment and prevention establishments) and education (pre-school, general education and basic vocational education).

Establishments

Enterprises and organisations of all types of ownership, except small enterprises.

Persons

Permanent, temporary and seasonal employees aged 18 years and over who worked full-time the whole month of October.

Excluded are workers with more than one job and persons performing work under civil law contracts; workers who were hired after the 1st of October and those whose employment terminated before 1 November; commission agents, home workers and casual workers; workers sub-contracted from other companies or firms; part-time workers including those on part-time leave with reduced pay at the initiative of the employer as a result of a reduction of activity, unpaid contributing family workers, and all persons temporarily absent from work, whatever the reason, irrespective of whether their wages and salaries are maintained, fully or partially or not.

Occupations

123 occupations and occupational groups, according to the All-Russia Classification of Occupations, Posts and Wage Categories (OKPDTR), which is linked to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88).

Gross earnings for the month of October include direct wages and salaries, additions and supplements to basic wage and salary scales, one third of quarterly bonuses, and earnings in kind (as defined above in the Monthly Report on Employment, Wages and Workers' Mobility) they exclude remuneration for time not worked and irregularly paid bonuses and gratuities.

Wage rates include (i) the basic wages actually paid for time worked or work done according to wage or salary scales or piece rates, and (ii) additions and supplements to basic wage and salary scales which are paid regularly and result from the type of operations at a given organisation and the occupational category of the worker (e.g. for arduous or harmful working conditions, multiple shift systems, night work, special skills, work as a team leader, correction of exercise books in the case of teachers, etc.).

Hours actually worked correspond to the number of hours for which earnings were paid, including overtime.

For certain occupations and occupational groups, data on earnings, wage rates and hours actually worked are collected for men and women separately.

International recommendations

The definitions of earnings, wage rates and hours actually worked conform to the international recommendations, and to the guidelines contained in the ILO October Inquiry.

The data are classified according to the industrial classification OKONKh and the occupational classification OKPDTR (see above), and by region. Occupational earnings, wage rates and hours are classified by sex (for specific occupations and occupational groups). Occupational employment data are not published.

Survey methods

The sampling frame consists of the list of enterprises and organisations which compile the monthly statistical labour reports; it is established each year from the Business Register. The survey consists of a sample survey by mechanical selection of enterprises and organisations, by branch of economic activity and region. The average sampling fraction is about 10%.

Data collection takes place during the month of November, under the responsibility of the regional offices of Goskomstat. The survey reports are sent and returned by mail. The data are processed by computer. Visual checking is carried out and a computer checking procedure is incorporated in the programme. In case of missing, erroneous or inconsistent data, clarifications are obtained from the respondent by telephone and/or letter.

The sample survey results are not expanded to the level of the universe. They represent the economic activities and occupations covered. No specific adjustments are made.

The survey was introduced in 1993. The first year and in 1995, it was based on 16 territories of the Russian Federation.

The following estimates are compiled from the survey: average monthly earnings and hours actually worked, and average hourly earnings and wage rates.

The survey results are published in the following GOSKOMSTAT publications: Labour and Employment in Russia; the Standard of Living of the Population in Russia; Women and Men in Russia; Statistical Review; and Statistical Bulletin. They are released some 8 months after the reference period and can also be made available on diskette.

The survey results are also published by the ILO in Statistics on occupational wages and hours of work and on food prices - October Inquiry results, a special supplement to the ILO Bulletin of Labour Statistics.

(3) Report on the distribution of workers according to wages and salaries: This survey is also carried out every two years with reference to the month of October. It covers:

The whole country, except the Chechen Republic and the Ingush Republic,
All branches of economic activity,
Enterprises and organisations of all types of ownership, except small enterprises,
Permanent, temporary and seasonal employees on payroll, who worked full time the whole month of October, in accordance with the system established by law or collective agreement in any given enterprise or organisation.

Excluded are workers with more than one job and persons performing work under civil law contracts; workers hired after the 1st of the reporting month and those whose employment terminated during the reporting month; workers absent from work for any reason, including sick leave; part-time workers including persons who worked part-time and for reduced pay at the initiative of the employer as a result of a reduction of activity; workers who were hired at less than full rates of pay; all other cases of workers who were absent from work without pay or with partial pay only; as well as commission agents, home workers, casual workers, workers sub-contracted from other companies or firms and unpaid contributing family workers.

Gross monthly earnings of employees having worked full time during the whole of the reporting month follow the same definition as in the Report on workers' average wages and hours worked during the month of October.

Data are collected neither on hours of work nor by occupation or occupational group.

Survey methods: This survey is a sample survey which follows the same pattern as the Report on workers' average wages and hours worked during the month of October.

Data are collected on the total number of employees and total amount of gross earnings for the reference month, by pre-selected ranges of earnings.

The sample survey results are not expanded to the level of the universe. They represent the economic activities covered. No specific adjustments are made.

This survey provides statistics on the distribution of employees by levels of earnings.