Annual Survey of Service Industries: Repair and Maintenance Services
Detailed information for 2002
Status:
Active
Frequency:
Annual
Record number:
4720
This survey collects the financial and operating data needed to produce statistics on the Repair and Maintenance Services industry in Canada.
Data release - July 29, 2004
Description
This annual sample survey collects the financial and operating data needed to produce statistics on the Repair and Maintenance Services industry in Canada. Commencing with reference year 2005, the survey also collects detailed information on the characteristics of the businesses, such as type of revenue and type of client.
These data are aggregated with information from other sources to produce official estimates of the national and provincial economic production of the Repair and Maintenance Services industry in Canada. The results from this survey provide data to businesses, governments, investors and associations. These data allow these groups to monitor the growth of the industry, measure performance, allow comparison across similar businesses and to better understand this industry to react to trends and patterns.
Statistical activity
The survey is administered as part of the Unified Enterprise Survey program (UES). The UES program has been designed to integrate, gradually over time, the approximately 200 separate business surveys into a single master survey program. The UES aims at collecting more industry and product detail at the provincial level than was previously possible while avoiding overlap between different survey questionnaires. The redesigned business survey questionnaires have a consistent look, structure and content. The unified 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.
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: February to September
Subjects
- Business, consumer and property services
- Business performance and ownership
- Financial statements and performance
- Repair and maintenance
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population consists of all statistical establishments (sometimes referred to as firms or units) classified as Repair and Maintenance (NAICS 811) according to the North American Industry Classification System 2002 (NAICS 2002) during the reference year. The Repair and Maintenance sector covers five NAICS 2002: Automotive Mechanical and Electrical Repair and Maintenance (NAICS 81111), Automotive Body, Paint, Interior and Glass Repair (NAICS 81112), Other Automotive Repair and Maintenance (NAICS 81119), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (NAICS 81121) and Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance (NAICS 81131).
This subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged in repairing and maintaining motor vehicles, machinery, equipment and other products. These establishments repair or perform general or routine maintenance on such products, to ensure that they work efficiently.
Instrument design
The survey questionnaires comprise generic modules that have been designed to cover several service industries. These modules include revenues, expenses, and employment, as well as an industry-specific module designed to ask for financial and non-financial characteristics that pertain specifically to this industry.
Sampling
This is a sample survey.
The basic objective of the survey is to produce estimates for the whole industry, incorporated and unincorporated businesses. The data come from two different sources: a sample of all businesses with revenue above or equal to a certain threshold (Note: the threshold varies between surveys and sometimes between provinces in the same survey) and administrative data for businesses with revenue below the specified threshold. It should be noted that only financial information is obtained from administrative sources e.g. revenue, expenses, depreciation and salaries, wages and benefits. Characteristics such as revenue by type of service are collected only for surveyed establishments.
The frame is the list of establishments from which the portion eligible for sampling is determined and the sample is taken. The frame provides basic information about each firm, including address, industry classification, and information from administrative data sources (as discussed above). The frame is maintained by Statistics Canada's Business Register, and is updated using administrative data.
Prior to the selection of a random sample, establishments are classified into homogeneous groups (i.e., groups with the same NAICS codes, same geography (province/territory), and same business type (incorporated/unincorporated) attributes). Quality requirements are targeted, and then each group is divided into sub-groups called strata: take-all, must-take, and take-some.
The take-all stratum represents the largest firms in terms of performance, based on revenue, in an industry. The must-take stratum comprises units selected on the basis of complex structure characteristics e.g. multi-establishment, multi-legal, multi-NAICS, or multi-province enterprises. All units in the take-all and the must-take stratum are selected to the sample. Units in the take-some strata are subject to simple random sampling. Finally, the sample size is increased, mostly to compensate for firms that no longer belong in the industry; i.e., they have gone out of business, changed their primary business activity, they are inactive, or are duplicates on the frame. After removing such firms, the sample size for the survey on Repair and Maintenance Services was 3133 collection entities.
Data sources
Responding to this survey is mandatory.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.
Data are collected through a mail-out/mail-back process, while providing respondents with the option of telephone or other electronic filing methods.
Follow-up procedures are applied when a questionnaire has not been received after a pre-specified period.
View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .
Error detection
Data are examined for inconsistencies and errors using automated edits coupled with analytical review. Where possible, data will be verified using alternate sources.
Imputation
Partial records are imputed to make them complete. Data for non-respondents are imputed using donor imputation, administrative data, or historical data.
Estimation
As part of the estimation process, survey data are weighted and combined with administrative data to produce final industry estimates.
Quality evaluation
Prior to dissemination, combined survey results are analyzed for overall quality; in general, this includes a detailed review of individual responses (especially for the largest companies), an assessment of the general economic conditions portrayed by the data, historic trends, and comparisons with other data sources.
Disclosure control
Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.
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