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Background Notes

Introduction

This release details quarterly changes in stocks of goods held in the Mining, Manufacturing, Energy and Waste Management sectors. The series are derived from a quarterly accounts inquiry to industrial enterprises with 20 or more persons engaged. This inquiry was initiated to meet national and EU requirements for quarterly economic variables, and is conducted under the Statistics (Business Accounts Surveys) Order, 2010, Number 349,  made under the Statistics Act 1993.  

The survey results, which cover all companies with 20+ employees, are grossed using the latest available Census of Industrial Production (CIP) data to represent levels of stocks for all industrial enterprises with 3+ persons engaged, and are shown at current values (seasonally unadjusted).  

The series are short-term indicators of trends, and are subject to revision when the annual Census of Industrial Production results become available. The Census of Industrial Production covers all enterprises which are wholly or primarily engaged in industrial production and have three or more persons engaged.

Scope

The survey of approximately 2,000 enterprises covers all enterprises with 20+ persons engaged in the Mining, Manufacturing,  Energy and Waste Management sectors.

Methodology

Estimates are made for non-responding enterprises, and for those enterprises where the total stock level returned is zero.  The opening stock level for each such enterprise in the current quarter is made equal to the closing stock level for that enterprise in the previous quarter. To estimate the closing stock level for the enterprise in the current quarter, the sample is classified into relatively homogeneous cells defined by NACE division and employment size, and the cell ratio closing stocks to opening stocks (calculated from the aggregated respondent values in the non-respondent’s cell) is applied to the opening stock level for the enterprise. The stock change is derived as the closing stock level minus the opening stock level. 

To derive estimates inclusive of those enterprises having 3 to 19 persons engaged, the sample results are grossed, by NACE division, using grossing ratios from the latest available CIP. The data from Q12019 onwards is based on the results of the CIP 2016.

Definitions

Stocks are valued (excluding VAT) on the accounting basis used by the enterprise. The stocks covered relate to goods actually held by the enterprise on its premises. Stock changes are calculated by subtracting the value of stocks at the beginning of the quarter from the value at the end of the quarter. 

An enterprise is defined as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision making, especially for the allocation of its current resources (e.g. company, partnership, individual proprietorship, etc.) An enterprise may be a sole legal unit.

Other

The figures provided in this release are short-term indicators only. They are based on quarterly information supplied by enterprises, many of whom do not maintain sub-annual accounting systems. The annual Census of Industrial Production, which utilises financial accounts data, should be considered as the definitive reference for annual stocks information.

For confidentiality reasons the following NACE divisions have been combined:

NACE division 10 with division 11.
NACE division 20 with division 21.
NACE division 24 with division 25.
NACE division 26 with division 32.
NACE divisions 29-30,33 with divisions 12,15,19 and 31.