Usage of information and communication technologies in enterprises

Information Society Statistics unit

Uros Rajcevic

Methodologist.

Milana Rakica 5, Belgrade, Serbia.

Survey data refer to the use of different information-comunication technologies and devices in enterprises.

NACE

All economic activities in the scope of Annex I of the Commission Regulation are intended to be included in the general survey, covering enterprises with 10 or more persons employes. These activities are: NACE Rev. 2 sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L and N, divisions 69-74 and 95.1.

The model questionnaire on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides a large variety of variables covering among others the following areas:

-          General information about ICT systems

-          Access to and use of the Internet

-          E-commerce and e-business

-          Other topics foreseen in the benchmarking frameworks: e-skills, the mobile use of the Internet, cloud computing, social media, software as a service, etc.

The annual model questionnaires and the methodological manual comprise definitions and explanations.

Enterprise.

Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed.

All enterprises on terittory of Republic of Serbia without Kosovo.

2022-2023.

N/A.

Percentage.

The first quarter of the current year (for the entire research "Use of Information and Communication Technologies in RS in Enterprises" the reference period is the first quarter, only e-commerce is observed for the previous year).

Official Statistics Law.

Other authorized producers of official statistics shall be obliged to cooperate with the Office on the methodology of statistical surveys that are envisaged by annual implementation plans, and when required, they consult the Office on the methodology and databases that they determine. In case of disagreement between the authorized producers of official statistics and the Office in relation to the issues as described in paragraph 1 hereof, the Office shall be obliged to advise respectively the Government, in writing and within 30 days after the disagreement was stated. Right to access individual data of other authorized producers of official statistics.

The Office shall have the right to access individual data resulting from the surveys of other authorized producers of official statistics, in case these data are essential for conducting the activities of official statistics or for the evaluation of data quality. The right to access individual data resulting from the surveys of the National Bank of Serbia shall be granted with prior written consent by the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia. Right to access administrative data sources

The Office shall have the right to access all administrative data sources in charge of government authorities, including identification codes, if necessary, as well as the right to access the data collected by constant monitoring and observation method, unless their statistical use is explicitly prohibited by law. The holders of administrative data sources and of data collected by constant monitoring and observation method are obliged to forward the data to the Office in accordance with the adopted Plan and in a way as agreed that shall entail no extra costs for the data holders, except in cases when these data are subject to special processing.

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

At national level : 

The data collected, processed and stored for the purpose of official statistics shall be considered as confidential when a physical person or a legal entity could be identified, directly or indirectly, by name (title), address or identification number. The authorized producers of official statistics shall use all means to preclude any possible, direct or indirect, individual identification of a reporting unit. Confidential data may be used for statistical purposes only. Therefore, the authorities of the republic government, the autonomous provinces’ government, the local government and other public authorities may not use the data and information compiled as official statistics for the purpose of defining the rights and obligations of a reporting unit.

Data are transmitted via eDamis (encrypted) and delivered to a secure environment where they are treated. Flags are added for confidentiality in case results must not be disclosed.

At national level : 

The authorized producers of official statistics are obliged to take all relevant administrative, technical and organizational measures required to protect confidential data from illegal access, disclosure or use. In a special set of regulations or other legal act, the authorized producers of official statistics shall define in more details the measures and procedures of data confidentiality protection, in accordance with this law.

Access to confidential data shall be restricted to the persons that in line of their duty produce official statistics and to the extent to which these data are required for the production of official statistics. The persons who in line of their duty have access to confidential data are under obligation to conform to the provisions of this law, even upon cessation of their term of office with statistical authorities.

Statistical release and publications with results from survey are avaliable on the website of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, in the part "Release Calendar".

Release calendar for the current year is avaliable to public on the web page:

http:/www.stat.gov.rs/calendar/?a=278&s=

Survey result are available:

1) SORS web-site

2) Library

Publication and survey results are available on SORS web-site under same terms for all interested users. in case of specialt requests Price Policy of SORS will be implemented. 

Data are published annualy.

Survey results for usage of ICT in enterprises does not have press release.

The book "Usage of information-communication technologies in the Republic of Serbia".

Most important indicators are available in database on SORS web-site. Users are able to download files to excel.

The Institute provides access to individual data without identifiers (anonymous data) which are available upon request of the user in accordance with the principles defined in the Official Statistics Law:

https://www.stat.gov.rs/media/2322/zakon_o_statisticie.pdf and the rules defined by the Rulebook on the manner and procedure of data provision produced by the Republic Statistical Office:

https://www.stat.gov.rs/en-US/o-nama/dokumenti

N/A.

Work in progress on setting up on new site of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.

A detailed control of the results is carried out before the results of the survey are published. Based on the Customer Satisfaction Survey, feedback was received on the quality and comprehensibility of published results.

The European businesses statistics compliers’ manual for ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides guidelines and standards for the implementation of the surveys. It is updated every year according to the changed contents of the model questionnaires.

At national level :

The SORS quality management system is relied on the Serbian official statistics mission and vision, as well as on the European Statistics Code of Practice – CoP and the Total Quality Management – TQM principles, which together make the common quality framework of the European Statistical system (ESS). Based on this framework SORS prepared main strategic documents on quality, like Declaration on quality, Quality policy, Quality strategy, as well as different guidelines and procedures for ensuring quality of statistical production.

 For more information, please see the documents at http://www.stat.gov.rs/en-US/o-nama/sistem-upravljanja-kvalitetom.

European level :

At European level, the recommended use of the annual Eurostat model questionnaire aims at improving comparability of the results among the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Moreover, the Methodological Manual provides guidelines and clarifications for the implementation of the surveys.

National level :

Indicators of ICT usage in enterprises are produced in accordance with methodological requirements and standards. Data are compared with previous and corresponding period and checks with different source are made.  The publication schedule is fixed and announced in advance

Main user at national level is RATEL (Republic Agency for Electronic Communications) and Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications.

RATEL (Republic Agency for Electronic Communications) has evaluated positively the data quality on the ICT usage in enterprises.

Detailed information is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

(Quality report)

Comments on reliability and representativeness of results and completeness of dataset

These comments should reflect standard errors reported for the indicators and breakdowns in section 13.2.1 (Sampling error - indicators) and the breakdowns for European aggregates, as well as other accuracy measurements. The estimated standard error should not exceed 2pp for the overall proportions and should not exceed 5pp for the proportions related to the different subgroups of the population (for those NACE aggregates for the calculation and dissemination of national aggregates). If problems were found, these could have implications for future surveys (e.g. need to improve sampling design, to increase sample sizes, to increase the response rates etc.).

More detailed information is available in “ Annex II. _ Accuracy “ excel file - related to European aggregates, comments on reliability and use of flag.

(Quality report)

Calculation of the standard error

Various methods can be used for the calculation of the standard error for an estimated proportion. The aim is to incorporate into the standard error the sampling variability but also variability due to unit non-response, item non-response (imputation), calibration etc. In case of census / take-all strata, the aim is to calculate the standard errors comprising the variability due to unit non-response and item non-response.

Please, describe below the approach which you have followed. This information will help Eurostat to evaluate the comparability of the standard errors supplied in the previous section by the different statistical institutes participating in the survey.

N/A.

The survey is being conducted in March, while the research results are published at the end of the third week of September.

All data are sent to Eurostat in time.

The model questionnaire is generally used by the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Due to (small) differences in translation, in the used survey vehicle, in non-response treatment or different routing through the questionnaire, some results for some countries may be of reduced comparability. In these cases, notes are added in the data.

Detailed information on differences in the wording of the questions in the national questionnaires is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

Time series 2009-2023. For information: there are interrupt series, the reasons for the break of the series are:

- change the Eurostat questionnaire and eject certain variables from the questionnaire

- change the scope of certain variables, some variables are divided into two different variables, thus eliminating the possibility of a time series

N/A.

N/A.

Not avaliable.

N/A.

N/A.

Survey is conducted on two-stage strtified random sample. Gross sample size is 1839 enterprises, response rate is 94.9%, or 1747 enterprises. Statistical data source.

Annual survey.

 The survey is conducted through a telephone survey, (CATI) method of data collection on IST. The questionnaire was formulated according to the Eurostat methodology, where it was previously tested and accepted by all member states and candidates. The interviewer training is conducted according to the instructions for using the data entry program in IST.

We use EUROSTAT validation program.

 Whi=Nh/mh  Nh- number of units in Farme in strata h; mh -number of responded units in strata h; Whi - weight for unit i in strata h

N/A.