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Concepts and definitions

Volume index of sales of civil engineering enterprises

The volume index of sales of civil engineering enterprises measures development in the industry's volume of output. The index describes relative change in the output volume compared to the average output in a base year. The base year of the current volume index of sales of civil engineering enterprises is 2000. The index series starts from 1995.

The index is published quarterly. Apart from the original index series, a seasonally adjusted series and a trend series are also calculated.

Detailed data from the Tax Administration's value added tax payment and reporting control records and data obtained with Statistics Finland's inquiry of large enterprises are exploited in the index calculations. The observation unit is an enterprise or kind-of-activity unit. Additionally, Statistics Finland's cost index of civil engineering works is utilised in the calculations.

Up to the end of 2001 the 1995 Standard Industrial Classification TOL was used in the calculations. The 2002 Standard Industrial Classification TOL has been used as of the beginning of 2002.

The calculation of the index is based on the so-called estimation of change. The calculation is done with data on the volume of domestic sales liable for value added tax by individual enterprise. Enterprises whose development deviates significantly from general development within the industry are left out of the calculation. Included are enterprises for which comparable data are available for the examined time period and the corresponding time period of the previous year.

An annual change percentage for the industry is calculated with the data for the enterprises included in the calculation. The index series is continued with this figure. The effect of price changes is removed from the index series thus obtained by deflating it with the cost index of civil engineering works.

Compilation of the statistics is influenced by the EC Regulation of Short-Term Statistic (No. 1165/98, http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/dsis/bmethods/info/data/new/legislation/sts.html).