Annual Survey of Service Industries: Software Development and Computer Services (COMP)
Detailed information for 2023
Status:
Active
Frequency:
Annual
Record number:
2410
This survey collects the financial and operating data needed to develop national and regional economic policies and programs.
Description
This survey collects data required to produce economic statistics for the software development and computer services industry in Canada.
Data collected from businesses are aggregated with information from other sources to produce official estimates of national and provincial economic production for this industry.
Survey estimates are made available to businesses, governments, investors, associations, and the public. The data are used to monitor industry growth, measure performance, and make comparisons to other data sources to better understand this industry.
Statistical activity
The survey is administered as part of the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). The IBSP has been designed to integrate approximately 200 separate business surveys into a single master survey program. The IBSP aims at collecting industry and product detail at the provincial level while minimizing overlap between different survey questionnaires. The redesigned business survey questionnaires have a consistent look, structure, and content.
The integrated approach makes reporting easier for firms operating in different industries because they can provide similar information for each branch operation. This way they avoid having to respond to questionnaires that differ for each industry in terms of format, wording and even concepts. The combined results produce more coherent and accurate statistics on the economy.
This survey is part of the Service Industries Program. The survey data gathered are used to compile aggregate statistics for over thirty service industry groupings. Financial data, including revenue, expense and profit statistics are available for all of the surveys in the program. In addition, many compile and disseminate industry-specific information.
Reference period: The calendar year, or the 12-month fiscal period for which the final day occurs on or between April 1st of the reference year and March 31st of the following year.
Collection period: March through October of the year after the reference period.
Subjects
- Business, consumer and property services
- Business performance and ownership
- Financial statements and performance
- Information and culture
- Professional, scientific and technical services
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population consists of all establishments classified to the codes 541514 - Computer systems design and related services (except video game design and development), 541515 - Video game design and development services, 513211 - Software publishers (except video game publishers), 513212 - Video game publishers, and 518210 - Data processing, hosting, and related services according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 during the reference year. This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in software development and computer services.
The observed population consists of all establishments classified to the codes 541514 - Computer systems design and related services (except video game design and development), 541515 - Video game design and development services, 513211 - Software publishers (except video game publishers), 513212 - Video game publishers, and 518210 - Data processing, hosting, and related services according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 found on Statistics Canada Business Register as of the last day of the reference year (including establishments active for a part of the reference year).
Instrument design
The survey questionnaire contains generic modules designed to cover several service industries. These include revenue and expense modules.
In order to reduce response burden, most of the firms receive a characteristic questionnaire (shortened version) that is industry-specific which does not include the revenue and expense modules. This shortened version is designed to collect both financial and non-financial characteristics, while revenue and expense data are extracted from administrative files.
Sampling
The Business Register is a repository of information reflecting the Canadian business population and exists primarily for the purpose of supplying frames for all economic surveys in Statistics Canada. It is designed to provide a means of coordinating the coverage of business surveys and of achieving consistent classification of statistical reporting units. It also serves as a data source for the compilation of business demographic information.
The major sources of information for the Business Register are updates from the Statistics Canada survey program and from Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Business Number account files. This CRA administrative data source allows for the creation of a universe of all business entities.
This survey is a pseudo-census with a cross-sectional design. All sampling units in the surveyed population taken from the Business Register are selected, but only a subset will receive a questionnaire. Values for financial variables come primarily from survey and tax data (T1 and T2 files from CRA). For all remaining survey variables, survey data is used for the subset of units selected to receive a questionnaire, while imputation is used for all non-selected units. This collected portion is defined through a specific process that makes sure the survey population is well represented by survey data.
SAMPLING UNIT
The sampling unit is the enterprise, as defined on the Business Register.
SAMPLING AND SUB-SAMPLING
In a census, all sampling units are selected and are self-represented in the subsequent processing steps.
Data sources
Data collection for this reference period: 2024-03-15 to 2024-08-16
Responding to this survey is mandatory.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.
Data are collected primarily through electronic questionnaire, which can be responded to in either official language. Respondents also have the option of receiving a paper questionnaire, replying by telephone interview or using other electronic filing methods. Follow-up is conducted via email, telephone or fax and dynamically prioritized on the basis of weighted response rates and for data validation on discrepancies from predicted values.
Administrative data
A strategy to replace survey data with tax data has been introduced to reduce the response burden and survey costs. The strategy involves using tax data instead of survey data for most of the simple units (for example, a single location and a single activity).
As part of the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP), T1 tax data are used for unincorporated businesses and T2 tax data for incorporated businesses. Data replacement may be used to correct outliers or to replace partially or completely missing data. Tax data may also be used to reconcile survey data.
Data integration combines data from multiple data sources including survey data collected from respondents, administrative data from the Canada Revenue Agency or other forms of auxiliary data when applicable. During the data integration process, data are imported, transformed, validated, aggregated and linked from the different data source providers into the formats, structures and levels required for IBSP processing. Administrative data are used in a data replacement strategy for a large number of financial variables for most small and medium enterprises and a select group of large enterprises to avoid collection of these variables. Administrative data are also used as an auxiliary source of data for editing and imputation when respondent data are not available.
View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .
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