Selected Services Survey

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Series Description

Title

Selected Services Survey

Abstract

Selected Services Survey statistics measure the sales of businesses involved in a range of businesses to provide short-term indicators.

Purpose

The purpose of the Selected Services Survey is to collect statistics from a cross-section of New Zealand businesses involved in a range of services. The financial data collected by this survey is used in the production of a range of economic indicators. An example is Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures economic activity in New Zealand. These statistics help government and other organisations in planning and decision making

Frequency

3 Quarterly

Significant events impacting this study series

History of the Selected Services Survey from 2010:

The selected other services information comes from the Other Services Survey, a new survey that covers the activity previously collected in the ANZSIC96-based Retail Trade Survey (RTS). Monthly GEO data for this subdivision is no longer available from the RTS. Instead, a quarterly survey of ‘selected other services’ collected data for the KAUs for these previously ‘retail’ industries. The results are available on Statistics NZ’s online Infoshare database at the national level only. Data is collected for total sales only.

Included into the selected services survey;

Subdivision S94, repair and maintenance

Repair and maintenance activities are carried out on a wide range of items of plant, equipment, household appliances, and personal goods. The nature of repair and maintenance activities varies, from engineering operations such as engine reconditioning, to minor servicing operations such as replacing a part in a washing machine. In ANZSIC96, these activities were classified to a number of different divisions. In ANZSIC06, their classification follows the production function. Repair and maintenance activities that generally have a different production function to the units that create the products being repaired or maintained have moved to the new subdivision 94, repair and maintenance.

The new ANZSIC06 subdivision covers the following ANZSIC96-based activities: • A range of other machinery equipment repair and maintenance moves from division C, manufacturing. • Computer repair and maintenance moves from division C, manufacturing, and division L, property and business services. • Domestic appliance repair and maintenance moves from division C, manufacturing, and division G, retail trade. • Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance moves from division C, manufacturing, and division G, retail trade. • Gas appliance repairs moves from division E, construction. • Car radio and air-conditioning installation moves from division F, wholesale trade. • Automotive repair and maintenance moves from division G, retail trade. • Clothing, footwear, and personal accessories repair moves from division G, retail trade. • Installation of television antennae, cabling, and satellite dishes moves from division G, retail trade. • Transport container repair or refurbishing moves from division I, transport and storage. • Computer and office machine repair and maintenance moves from division L, property and business services. • Implementing ANZSIC 2006 in manufacturing, wholesale, and selected other services

Subdivision 95, personal and other services

The Other Services Survey includes activities previously covered in ANZSIC96 subdivision 95, personal services, and surveyed in the ANZSIC96-based RTS. The new survey will cover the following ANZSIC06 groups: • 951, personal care services • 952, funeral, crematorium, and cemetery services • 953, other personal services.

ANZSIC06 groups 954 (religious services) and 955 (civic, professional, and other interest group services) are outside the scope of the Other Services Survey.

Activities moving into ANZSIC06 groups 951, 952, and 953: • Parking services moves from division I, transport and storage. • Hair restoration services, welfare fund raising moves from division O, health and community services. • Pet boarding services moves from division A, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. • Personal health and fitness training moves from division P, cultural and recreational services.

In 2015, we made changes to the methodology used in the Selected Services Survey beginning with the September 2015 quarter. The changes were intended to:

make greater use of administrative data sources

reduce respondent burden

introduce a consistent methodology and processing system across the quarterly Selected Services Survey, quarterly Manufacturing Survey, and quarterly Wholesale Trade Survey.

enable the delivery of information at lower levels of detail for research and customised requests

improve the quality of the published series.

Under the old design, we surveyed all the large businesses in each industry, plus a sample of medium-sized businesses. We supplemented this with modelled tax data for the smaller businesses.

Under the new design, we use administrative data (goods and services tax (GST) data, sourced from Inland Revenue) wherever possible, and supplement this by surveying only the largest and most complex businesses. With this new design, we have eliminated most of the small and medium-sized businesses from the survey entirely.

The methodology changes have improved the quality of the series we publish. This is largely because we effectively have full coverage of all businesses within an industry, rather than relying upon a smaller sample to represent the entire population.

We also published sales data for three new service industries for the first time from the September 2015 quarter:

  • MN111 – Scientific, architectural, and engineering services
  • MN112 – Legal and accounting services
  • MN114 – Veterinary and other professional services
Usage and limitations of the data

Results from the Selected Services Survey are one of the important components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The information is also used by business and industry commentators as a way of monitoring economic trends and business outlook.

Main users of the data

Treasury and Reserve Bank

Selected Services Survey

Label
Selected Services Survey
Description

The Selected Services Survey is to collect statistics from a cross-section of New Zealand businesses involved in a range of activities. The financial data collected by this survey is used in the production of a range of economic indicators. An example is Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures economic activity in New Zealand.

Methodology

Methodology

Population The target population is all KAUs on Statistics NZ’s BR that are operating in New Zealand and are classified to the following New Zealand Standard Industrial Output Categories (NZSIOCs):

  • MN111 – Scientific, architectural, and engineering services
  • MN112 – Legal and accounting services
  • MN114 – Veterinary and other professional services
  • RS211 – Repair and maintenance
  • RS212 – Personal care, funeral and other services.  

Methodology changes The series for this survey is produced using GST data wherever possible. We have done extensive work over the last few years on GST data and have established that it is a reliable measure of activity in these industries apart from the largest and most complex businesses.

We have developed robust methods of transforming the data, which is submitted at different frequencies, to a quarterly frequency. In addition, we have developed methods of detecting and removing sales and purchases of large capital items, which can at times occur in the GST data. These are not part of the conceptual measure of sales required for national accounts purposes.

We supplement the GST data for each of the series with survey data for large and complex businesses which meet the following criteria:

  • A $100 million significance rule – if an enterprise, or group of enterprises linked by ownership, have an annual GST turnover of more than $100 million.
  • A 3 percent industry dominance rule – if an enterprise makes more than a 3 percent contribution to annual total income for an industry.
  • All enterprises that have a significant level of activity across multiple industries.

Seasonal adjustment Seasonally adjusted and trend series have been produced using the X-13ARIMA-SEATS package developed by the U.S. Census Bureau. As we have maintained the previously published industry movements for manufacturing and wholesale trade data there is minimal change to the seasonally adjusted movements over time.

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