8221.2 - Manufacturing Industry, Victoria, 1999-2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/11/2001   
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Technical Note 1 Data Reliability

SAMPLE ERROR

1 The 1999-2000 manufacturing survey was designed primarily to deliver industry class estimates for Australia and States for the data items employment, wages and salaries, turnover and IVA. For the two Territories, the sample was designed to deliver industry subdivision data only.

2 All 1999-2000 (and 1994-95, 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99) data contained in this publication have been obtained from samples of manufacturers. As such, these data are subject to sampling variability; that is, they may differ from the figures that would have been produced if the data had been obtained from all manufacturers in the population. The measure of the likely difference as used by the ABS is given by the standard error, which indicates the extent to which an estimate might have varied by chance because the data were obtained from only a sample of units. There are about 2 chances in 3 that a sample estimate will differ by less than one standard error from the figure that would have been obtained if the data had been obtained from all units, and about 19 chances in 20 that the difference will be less than two standard errors.

3 The standard error can also be expressed as a percentage of the estimate, and this is known as the relative standard error. The relative standard errors for the 1999-2000 employment, wages and salaries, turnover and IVA data for Victoria presented in this publication are nearly all 3% or less for industry subdivisions (see Technical Note 2) and most are 4.5% or less for industry classes.

4 Relative standard errors at the industry subdivision level for Victoria for selected data items representing the full range of data contained in this publication are shown in Technical Note 2. Detailed relative standard errors can be made available on request.


NON SAMPLE ERROR

5 The imprecision due to sampling variability, which is measured by the standard error, should not be confused with inaccuracies that may occur because of inadequacies in available sources from which the population frame was compiled, imperfections in reporting by providers, errors made in collection such as in recording and coding data, and errors made in processing data. Inaccuracies of this kind are referred to collectively as non-sampling error and they may occur in any enumeration, whether it be a full census or a sample.

6 While it is not possible to quantify non-sampling error, every effort is made to reduce it to a minimum. Collection forms are designed to be easy to complete and assist businesses to report accurately. Efficient and effective operating procedures and systems are used to compile the statistics.