Average and real monthly wages and salaries

Survey method and data source

Information is acquired by compiling questionnaires developed by the CSB – quarterly statistical reports on activities of merchants, state and local government budgetary institutions, foundations, associations and funds (2-Labour, 2-Labour-municipalities, 2-Labour (short)), and administrative data.

Statistical report form 2-Labour (short) is submitted by individual merchants, foundations, associations and funds employing 7–49 persons. Form 2-Labour-municipalities submitted by local governments and municipal institutions. All other statistical units included in the sample submit statistical report form 2-Labour.

Administrative data are acquired from reports on employees submitted by employers to the State Revenue Service from the Report on state social security compulsory payments from employee income, Income Tax and Business Risk State Duty during the reference month, from the Report regarding the employment income, personal income tax and state mandatory social insurance contributions of the payers of the income tax for seasonal farm workers and from Micro-enterprise Tax Declaration.

Information is compiled on all fields. Data by kinds of economic activity are compiled by the main kind of activity which includes also all the other activities of the respondent, except centralized accountancies of the local governments, which submit data separately on following sectors:

• Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply;
• Public administration and defence; compulsory social security;
• Education;
• Residential care activities;
• Social work activities without accommodation;
• Creative, arts and entertainment activities;
• Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities;
• Cleaning activities.

CSB compiles information in breakdown by territorial units based on the address of the company office.

Target population

Target population covers all statistical units (state and local government budgetary institutions, state and local government merchants, private commercial companies, individual merchants, peasant and fishermen farms employing 50 persons and more, foundations, associations and funds employing 1 and more persons) economically active in 2019.

Target population of the survey does not include:

• religious organisations;
• rural handicraft enterprises;
• family businesses;
• individuals performing economic activity.

Target population does not include also statistical units having NACE Rev. 2 classification economic activity code starting with 97 or 98.

Sample size

Each quarter of 2019 more than 7 thsd respondents are surveyed.

Budgetary institutions, businesses with government or local government participation 50% and more and all businesses of the private sector with 50 employees and more are surveyed completely. Other statistical units are surveyed with the help of simple stratified sample, which is carried out in earlier formed stratum by kind of economic activity and size of enterprise (by number of employees). Sample, regardless all other pre-conditions, included general government sector enterprises (institutional sector classification code starts with S13).

When building the sample, population frame includes all statistical units meeting the description of the target population. Population frame was formed based on the information in Statistical Business Register. At the moment when the sample was formed, population frame consisted of 107 686 units (2988 of which were surveyed with the full-scope survey and made the first part target population, 13579 of which were surveyed with a sample survey and made the second part of the target population and 91119 of which were not surveyed directly and made the third part of the target population). Before building the sample, population frame was divided into six target population groups. The sample size used consisted of 7502 units (45.3 % out of the 16567 frame units).

*SVTK – CSB typological classification of statistical units.

Calculation methods

Information was obtained from the statistical surveys every quarter in breakdown by months. Annual data are obtained by summing quarterly information received during the year. Information obtained from respondents is extrapolated using the weights set for the each sample unit. Report indicators multiplied with the weights firstly are summed at class (4-digit), group (3-digit), division (2-digit) and section (letter) level in compliance with the statistical Classification of Economic Activities NACE Rev. 2.

Wage and salary indicators are cover employees working time of which is registered and wages and salaries of which are calculated.

The average monthly gross (net) wages or salaries are calculated by dividing the gross (net) wage and salary fund by the average number employees in full-time units.

Average number of employees in full-time units is calculated separately for full-time and part-time employees, for whom wages and salaries were calculated, and result is summed. Out of the full-time employees only those who were not in labour relations for full month are recalculated in full-time units, and it is done by using information on hours paid of such employees indicated in the reports. Part-time employees in full-time units are recalculated as follows: number of hours paid of part-time employees is divided by number of hours paid of full-time employees, and the result is multiplied with the number of full-time employees.

The gross wage and salary fund includes basic wage and salary (monthly wage, post wage), remuneration for the time worked or the amount of work done, regular and irregular additional payments and bonuses, earnings related to over-time work, payment for the annual and supplementary vacations, additional payment for vacation, holiday allowances, compensation for the vacation not used, sick pay (medical certificate A), payment for other days not worked, social security compulsory contributions paid by employees and personal income tax, as well as labour remuneration subsidies.

Classifications

Data on monthly average and real wages and salaries are compiled, calculated and published by using:

• Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community, Rev. 2 (NACE Rev. 2);
• Classification of Administrative Territories and Territorial Units of the Republic of Latvia (CATTU);
• Classification of Institutional Sectors (only for data on wages and salaries).

Contact person on methodology