NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
OVERVIEW
To measure the production and distribution of Information Technology and Telecommunications goods and services (including International Trade in goods and services).
The collection of statistics for the IT&T (supply side) industry is undertaken every second year.
An agreed list of goods and services (in comsultation with users) is used to identify IT&T businesses including those specialising in IT&T. The list is tailored for the set of IT related industries (below) which are covered in one discrete survey stream. Other industries which are part of the wider interest subsumed in the term information industries or information economy are dealt with in separate surveys (eg Radio and television services).
For 1998-99, the IT&T industry covered in the one survey stream was:
7120 Telecommunication Services
The Business Register will provide the collection frame. The unit for which statistics are to be reported is the management unit. Development of the survey commenced on 1/7/98 and involves consultation with peak bodies and industry sources including potential data users. These consultations will assist in determining survey scope and content, including requirements for activity data and provide some appreciation of the level of coverage provided the Business Register.
Form testing will commence in November 1998 with final adjustments to the questionnaire scheduled for early April 1999. Despatch will occur mid-August 1999 in line with the coordinated annual despatch of ABS Economic Collections.
Published output is scheduled for release in June 2000.
PURPOSE
To provide a measure of the size, structure and performance of the IT and Telecommunications industries in Australia.
To identify the nature and structure of the industry/activity in terms of employment, income, costs and its contribution to the Australian economy.
The following measures provide an indication of the performance of IT&T businesses:
- the number of businesses specialising in IT&T,
- employment levels
- Gross incomes
- Turnover
- IT&T revenues
- wages and salaries
- total expenses
- earnings before interest and tax
- operating profit before tax
- capital expenditure
- sales of goods and services(own production vs onselling) by commodity
Development of the survey will involve consultations with a number of key users and other industry sources to establish views on significant aspects/outputs of the industry which could be incorporated in the collection.
Published data will reflect a range of standard outputs including: business employment details, income and expense dissected by major component and financial performance ratios together with a set of (yet to be determined) activity data outputs.
SCOPE
All MU's with IT&T revenue within ANZSIC class 7120 - Telecommunication Services; excluding MUs with primary income derived from Telecommunications Consultancy.
IT&T revenue includes income from computer services, income from communication services, income from packaged software and income from the sale of computer and communications hardware
The Business Register based frame is supplemented by a list of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from external sources. ISPs found on the external lists are matched to the Register. If found on the Register they are extracted to the final Refister-based frame (regardless of their ANZSIC code). If not found on the Register they are added to the final survey frame as a supplementary unit.
DATA DETAIL
Conceptual framework
Part of the ABS program of industry surveys. The data items will be consistent with Economic Activity Survey (EAS) specifications and outputs will provide key financial statistics in respect of the in scope ANZSICs and national Account requirements. Some activity data is also proposed in line with external user interest.
Main outputs
Data are available at the ANZSIC class level. Some statistics are available at the state level.
The publication contains the following tables at the Australia level:
- sources of income
- items of expenditure
- characteristics of employment
- selected statistics by employment size groupings
- selected performance ratios
- production, imports and exports of broad IT commodities.
Classifications
The survey will collect data classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).
7120 Telecommunication Services
Business will be selected on the basis of ANZSIC at the management unit level.
Classification issues:
Both initial investigation of the Business Register coverage and past survey experience indicate that a number of units currently classified to ANZSIC 7834 are not computer consultants. They are consultants of other kind such as business, management consultants.
Other concepts (summary)
The survey deals with the concept of "Telecommunication goods and services". Income derived from these goods and services is referred to as "IT&T income".
As an example, "Income from provision of Telecommunication services", an item required by National Accounts, is split into "Income from provision of Telecommunication services" and "Other income from provision of services".
GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Comments and/or Other Regions
COLLECTION FREQUENCY
2 Yearly
Frequency comments
This survey runs in conjunction with the IT producer survey which alternates with the IT demand surveys: IT Survey - Business Enterprises and IT Survey - General Govt. IT&T Production is scheduled for 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03 etc, with demand surveys scheduled for 1999-2000, 2001-02, etc
COLLECTION HISTORY
The various Information Technology and Telecommunication industry surveys have been conducted over the years as outlined below:
1987-88 Computer Services Industry Survey (ANZSICs 7831-4 only)
1992-93 IT&T Industry Survey (all relevant industries including telecommunication services)
1995-96 IT&T Industry Survey (all relevant industries including telecommunication services)
1996-97 Telecommunication Services Industry Survey (ANZSIC 7120 only)
1998-99 IT&T Industry Survey (all relevant industrues including telecommunication services)
The relevant ANZSIC industries that are included in the IT&T Industry Survey are:
Manufacturing 2841, 2842, 2849, 2852 (from 1998-99 also covered 2430)
Wholesale 4613, 4614, 4615
Telecommunication services 7120
Computer services 7831, 7832, 7833, 7834
The IT&T Industry Survey will be conducted on a biennial basis in the future covering the above industries. Accordingly, there will only be one Collection Management System entry under IT&T Producers Survey for the 2000-01 cycle.
Tailored forms are used to collect data items specific to the Computer services or Telecommunications industries.
DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes
Data availability comments
DATE OF LAST UPDATE FOR THIS DOCUMENT
31/05/2002 03:50 PM
