Report on the Triennial Review of the

Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey

J uly 2009
A publication of the Government Statistical Service
CONTENTS

Page

Executive Summary 2
Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey - Key Facts 5


1. Introduction 6
2. Background 6
3. Uses 10
4. International Comparisons 13
5. Respondents' Views 14
6. Costs 15
7. Options for Change 16


Annexes
A. Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire and guidance notes 20
B. Progress recommendations from 1997 triennial review 24
C. Differences between the AEI and AWE 25
D. Triennial review letter and questionnaire for MWSS users 26
E. Summary of users questionnaire 31
F. Triennial review questionnaire for MWSS respondents 37
G. Summary of respondents questionnaire 42
H. Analysis of time taken to complete the survey questionnaire 45

Any enquiries regarding this report should be addressed to:

Harry Duff
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Government Buildings
Cardiff Road
Newport, NP10 8XG

Tel: 01633 456771
Email: harry.duff@ons.gov.uk



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey is a monthly survey
of businesses collecting information on total pay, bonuses,
arrears and the number of weekly and monthly paid employees.
It has been conducted since 1963.

The main purpose of the survey is to provide a fast, monthly,
indicator of how earnings are changing in the economy. The
estimates of earnings growth produced from the survey are
one of the key indicators used by the Treasury and the Bank of
England to track underlying movements in earnings and to
judge inflationary pressures. The estimates are also used to
help the UK fulfil its obligations under European Regulation
on Labour Costs and short-term statistics.

The survey is used to produce four short-term earnings
indicators:

the Average Earnings Index, the National Statistic measure
of short-term earnings growth
the Average Weekly Earnings, an experimental measure of
the level of earnings developed to meet a recommendation
in the Turnbull-King Review
the Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH), an
experimental measure of total labour costs developed to
meet a Eurostat Regulation
Gross Wages and Salaries (GWS), an estimate of total
wages and salaries developed to meet a Eurostat
Regulation

The main users of the outputs were consulted during the
Review. Each of the outputs scored quite high in terms of the
quality attributes recognised by ONS and the European
Statistical Community for example on relevance, accuracy,
comparability, timeliness, accessibility and coherence. These
results are presented in Annex E of this Report. There are,
however, some improvements that users would like to see, for
example on the reconciliation of the data with the National
Accounts and on the accessibility of some of the outputs.

A voluntary survey of contributors was carried out to ascertain
the length of time taken to supply the information and to gain
their general views on the survey. The mean time to
complete the monthly survey was 25 minutes. The cost to the
government to run the survey in 2008 is estimated at 770,000
per annum. The Office for National Statistics is currently in
2
the process of adopting a new method for calculating the
administrative costs to business, in line with other European
countries. Following the introduction of this methodology,
respondents costs will be calculated and published as an
addendum to this review.

In general, contributors have little difficulty in providing the
information requested. This can be seen from their response to
the main question asking whether they had any problems
responding to the survey:

96 per cent of the respondents felt that the terms and
explanations of the terms used on the questionnaire were clear
95 per cent had no difficulty in providing the information,
as it was readily available
89 per cent had no need to get help from others in order to
answer the questions
82 per cent did not have to wait for information which was
available at different times
73 per cent had no need to collect information from different
sources.

There are, however, some concerns that need to be addressed.
A small number of contributors appear to be taking a long
time to complete the questionnaire each month. And some of
the comments provided in the survey suggest that the
questionnaire could be made a little clearer in places such as on
the definition of awards and arrears and on the requirement to
identify significant changes.



Recommendations The main recommendations of the Review are as follows:


The Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey (MWSS) should
continue in its present form.

The MWSS rotation rate should be reviewed when the
Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) replaces the Average
Earnings Index (AEI) as the National Statistic.

The validation/selective editing system used in the MWSS
should be reviewed following the move to the new
Standard Industrial Classification.

The ONS should produce a reconciliation of the AEI/AWE
3
with the National Accounts estimates for Compensation of
Employees.

The ONS should make the employment estimates
underlying the AWE available on the Web.

The ONS should produce a note for users on the
methodology used in constructing Index of Labour Cost
per Hour (ILCH), including the data sources used.

The ONS should make users aware of the industrial detail
that already exists for the AEI and AWE.

The ONS should make users more aware of the AWE
publication timetable.

The ONS should improve the accessibility of the earnings
data on the Web.

The ONS should review the timeliness of the AEI/AWE,
following the move of the AWE to National Statistic status.

The ONS should conduct a review of the MWSS
questionnaire.

The ONS should review the MWSS timetable, following
the move of the AWE to National Statistic status.



















4
MONTHLY WAGES AND SALARIES SURVEY KEY FACTS


1. Date MWSS Survey Commenced

1963
2. Statutory or Voluntary

Statutory
3. Frequency

Monthly
4. Main Information Collected Number of weekly and monthly paid employees
Total Gross Pay, Bonuses and Arrears for each.
Reasons for change.

5. Respondents

Businesses in all sectors with 20 or more employees.
6. Sample size

coverage

method
Approx 9,000 questionnaires per month.

Great Britain

Stratified random sampling of businesses with registered
(IDBR) employment of 20 or more employees. All
companies with over 1,000 employees are sampled every
month.

7. Target response 83 per cent

8. Users of results








Labour Market Division (ONS)
Bank Of England
HM Treasury
Department for Work & Pensions
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Press, media
Financial Analysts, Academics and Businesses
Members of the Public

9. Publications

Internet (www.statistics.gov.uk)
Labour Markets Statistics Statistical Bulletin
Monthly Digest of Statistics
Annual Abstract of Statistics
Economic and Labour Market Review

10. Compliance cost to contributor

The Office for National Statistics is currently in the
process of adopting a new method for calculating the
administrative costs to business, in line with other
European countries. Following the introduction of this
methodology, respondents costs will be calculated and
published as an addendum to this review.

11. Full Economic cost of running
inquiry

770,000



5


1.
INTRODUCTION


Reasons for the review
1.1 Standing instructions on the control of statistical surveys
require that regular annual surveys to businesses and local
authorities are reviewed at least once every five years
(monthly/quarterly surveys every three years). The aim of
these procedures is to avoid unnecessary surveys, to ensure
that control is exercised in the most cost-effective way and
that authorised surveys are conducted in such a way as to
obtain the information needed while imposing the minimum
burden on respondents.

1.2 The present instructions for controlling government statistical
surveys, including the procedures for reviewing surveys, were
issued by the Prime Ministers office in 1999. These
instructions re-iterated the continuing need to review all
regular surveys of business. Surveys with total compliance
costs in excess of 250,000 are subject to a comprehensive
review involving an external observer. Reviews of smaller
surveys are subjected to a less burdensome mini review. The
level of detail contained in the mini reviews is expected to
reflect the complexity and importance of the survey and the
level of compliance costs. As per office policy, a copy of this
review has been seen and commented on by the ONSs Survey
Control Unit (SCU).





2. BACKGROUND


Collection of the data
2.1 The Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey (MWSS) is a
monthly survey addressed to about 9,000 businesses,
collecting information on the total pay, bonuses and arrears of
pay for weekly and monthly paid employees. The number of
weekly and monthly paid employees is also collected. A copy
of the questionnaire is at Annex A.


2.2 The MWSS has been conducted since 1963. There have been a
number of changes to the survey over the years, the most
recent following the Turnbull-King Review in 1999 which
recommended the separate collection of information on
bonuses.


2.3 The main purpose of the survey is to provide a fast, monthly,
indicator of how earnings are changing in the economy. The
estimates of earnings growth produced from the survey are
one of the key indicators used by the Treasury and the Bank of
6
England to track underlying movements in earnings and to
judge inflationary pressures.


2.4 The survey is carried out under the Statistics of Trade Act
1947 (STA), placing a statutory obligation on employers to
respond.


2.5 The MWSS is based on a sample of approximately 9,000
businesses chosen to be representative of different size bands
and different industry classifications. The monthly sample is
stratified by sector (public and private), standard industrial
classification (SIC) and the number of employees in the
company (the employee size-bands are 20-99, 100-499, 500-
999 and 1,000+). Businesses with fewer than 20 employees
are not sampled.


2.6 The 9,000 businesses are selected from the Inter-Departmental
Business Register (IDBR) and cover approximately 12.8
million employees which represents approximately half the
total number of employees in Great Britain.


2.7 All businesses with 1,000 or more employees are selected
every month. Businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees are
selected on a random basis, except where there are only a
small number of businesses in the sample cell in which case
each of the businesses will be selected. Those businesses
selected randomly are rotated out of the sample (and replaced
by a new business) at a rate of 20 per cent a year. This means
that once selected, respondents generally stay in the sample for
five years, this is a much longer period than in other monthly
surveys which tend to have a rotation of 27months.


2.8 Osmotherly guidelines state that we promise businesses with
less than 10 employees are only required to complete ONS
questionnaires for a maximum of 15 months and then they are
given a holiday for a three year period where they are not
required to complete any ONS statistical questionnaire. As
the MWSS does not cover businesses with less than 20
employees the guidelines are not applicable.


2.9 The MWSS questionnaires are despatched in the last week of
the reference month with a request to be returned within two
weeks. Companies who do not respond within this timescale
are sent a reminder letter.


2.10 Data returned by contributors are electronically captured and
transferred to Common Software. Data cleansing and analysis
is then undertaken using the standard Common Software
systems, including selective editing, before passing to the
7
results team for further analysis and publication. Provisional
results are published approximately six to seven weeks after the
end of the reference period.


2.11 The overall response target requires that 83 per cent of
questionnaires be returned by the time that the data analysis
for the provisional results is completed. There is also an
83 per cent target for each of the 20 industry groups which
cover those industries with the
most employees.

Alternative Data Sources
2.12 Information on earnings is also collected in the monthly
Labour Force Survey (LFS) but it would not be suitable for
constructing earnings indicators because of its poor quality
and coverage. The earnings questions on the LFS do not
explicitly ask respondents to include bonuses in gross weekly
or hourly pay. As a result there is thought to be some under-
coverage indeed, the Weale review (see 2.17 below)
suggests that the LFS series behaves more like an excluding
bonuses series. In addition to issues over bonus payments, the
LFS is also partially based on proxy response, which may be
unreliable for earnings and it suffers from general
misreporting on some of the important details, for example on
the industry or sector of the respondent.


2.13 Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collect
information on total wages and salaries from companies who
run PAYE schemes. This source is not very timely, with a lag
of nearly two years, so it is not a suitable source for generating
timely short-term estimates of earnings growth. It is however,
used to benchmark the MWSS outputs that feed into the
National Accounts estimates for compensation of employees.

Recent Developments 2.14 The last full Triennial Review of the MWSS was conducted in
1997. The recommendations of that Review are at Annex B.
The Review due in 2000 was not conducted following a
decision that the Turnbull-King Review in 1999 provided a
thorough overhaul of the survey and its outputs, leading to
some 37 recommendations including changes to the
questionnaire (to separately identify bonuses), the
methodology underlying the main short-term indicator the
Average Earnings Index (AEI) and the development of the
experimental indicator Average Weekly Earnings (AWE).

2.15 The implementation of the Turnbull-King recommendations
resulted in significant changes to the MWSS and AEI between
1999 and 2003. During this period, the work was also
relocated from Runcorn to Newport. The relocation in itself
amounted to a review of the data collection and processing
8
methods so the Triennial Review due in 2003 was not
conducted. However, an internal review was conducted shortly
after relocation, resulting in a number of further improvements
and efficiencies.

[A copy of the Turnbull-King Report is available from the
Earnings Helpdesk: earning@ons.gsi.gov.uk]

2.16 The experimental Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) was
developed during this period and launched in 2005, although it
was made clear that further methodological work was needed
before it could become a National Statistic. The addition of the
AWE has provided users in the Bank of England (BoE) and
HM Treasury (HMT) with interesting additional information
on the labour market but there was increasing concern during
2006 and 2007 over the differences between the AWE and the
Average Earnings Index (AEI). Work in the ONS showed that
much of these differences were due to the different
methodologies used in the two indicators and work has
continued on establishing the best methodology. The focus on
the reconciliation work and the further development of the
AWE led to delays in, and finally the abandonment of, the
2006 Triennial Review.

2.17 Martin Weale, director of the National Institute of Economic
and Social Research, has recently reviewed the work that has
been done on the AEI and AWE and made a number of
recommendations which are currently being implemented.
Once this work has been completed, it is hoped that the AWE
can become a National Statistic, and in due course replace the
AEI. The full report is available at
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/Wealefi
nalreport.pdf

2.18 There are two corporate initiatives which may impact on the
MWSS in the next few years. The development of the
Monthly Business Survey (MBS) will lead to greater
standardisation across the monthly turnover and employment
surveys, improving efficiency and cutting costs. The project is
still at an early stage but the MWSS also collects employment
data and there may be a need to incorporate the survey in the
new MBS system. The development of the MBS also provides
the opportunity to examine the structure of the short-term
surveys. It may be possible, for example, to produce
sufficiently reliable monthly outputs from a much smaller
monthly sample provided there is a robust quarterly structure
in place.


9

3. USES


3.1 The MWSS is used to produce four short-term earnings
indicators:

the AEI, the National Statistic measure of short-term
earnings growth
the AWE, an experimental measure of the level of earnings
developed to meet a recommendation in the Turnbull-King
Review
the Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH), an
experimental measure of total labour costs developed to
meet a Eurostat Regulation
Gross Wages and Salaries (GWS), an estimate of total
wages and salaries developed to meet a Eurostat
Regulation.

3.2 These four outputs meet a variety of different needs. The AEI
and AWE are both produced on a monthly basis but they differ
slightly in concept and they use different methodologies. For
example, the AEI is based on responses to consecutive months
(matched pairs) while the AWE makes use of all of the
responses each month. A more detailed analysis of the
differences is at Annex C.

3.3 The other two measures ILCH and GWS are quarterly
outputs developed to meet Eurostat requirements. GWS is
essentially the AWE numerator while ILCH uses total labour
costs as the numerator and hours worked rather than
employees as the denominator. The use of total labour costs
means that ILCH provides a more complete measure of the
cost of labour than GWS while the use of hours worked rather
than employees makes it more responsive to labour input.

ONS users 3.4 Each of the known users of the outputs was contacted as part
of this review and asked to complete the standard
questionnaire outlining which series they used and their views
of the data in terms of the six standard quality dimensions:
relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence, comparability and
accessibility. A copy of the questionnaire is at Annex D. A
summary of users views is at Annex E.

3.5 Labour Market Division publish the AEI in the main Labour
Market Division output, the integrated Labour Market
Statistics Statistical Bulletin.

3.6 Productivity Branch uses the monthly AEI manufacturing
10
including bonuses series to calculate monthly manufacturing
unit wage costs. The resulting series is published in the
Integrated Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.

3.7 The AEI is also used by National Accounts Branch to estimate
growth in recent periods as part of the calculation of
Compensation of Employees (CoE). CoE is also an important
part of GDP and a number of other key economic statistics.

3.8 The AEI non seasonally adjusted series for Machinery and
Equipment, Electrical and Optical Equipment and Transport
Equipment are used by Prices Division to calculate Aerospace
and Electronics Cost Indices for publication in MM19.

Other Government
users
3.9 The Bank of England (BoE) stated that the Average Earnings
Index (AEI) is one of the main short-term indicators of
earnings growth that they monitor.
They also monitor the Average Weekly Earnings (AWE). The
industry breakdown allows the BoE to compare sectoral
earnings data with other sector data, such as output and
employment, to judge the nature of demand and inflationary
pressure across the economy as a whole.

3.10 The BoE recognise the progress that has been made in
reconciling the differences between the AEI and AWE and
would like to see similar work undertaken on comparisons
with the National Accounts data. They would also find it
useful to have access to the employment estimates underlying
the AWE.

3.11 The BoE also monitor Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH)
as it provides a wider measure of labour costs. They would
however, like to have a clearer understanding of how ILCH is
constructed, including a description of the data sources used.

3.12 HM Treasury stated that the AEI questionnaire is a crucial part
of its monthly briefing on the state of the labour market. In
particular, the whole economy AEI measures are viewed as the
primary indicator of wage inflation. In addition to the regular
briefs, the AEI time series are often used in internal projects
for historical comparisons and regression analysis. The AWE
is used as one of a number of measures of earnings and bonus
payments growth. Every new release of AWE will be looked
at to inform the view of the macro-economy as a whole. The
detailed breakdown allows comprehensive analysis of trends
by sector.

3.13 HM Treasury would like to see further disaggregation of the
AEI by region and industry. It also commented that the
11
date of new AWE releases was not always clear and that the
data did not consistently appear on the website when it was
expected.

3.14 HM Treasury also use ILCH. The major interest in the ILCH
is the non-wage labour costs as this is not something that is
readily available elsewhere. The analysis provided by HM
Treasury is often on an ad-hoc basis and as such the ILCH is
not used for any set task but is a useful source for informing
labour market and prices analysis.

3.15 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills use the AEI
non-seasonally adjusted series for Machinery and Equipment,
Electrical and Optical Equipment and Transport Equipment
to compile some of the indices of the price adjustment
formulae used for index-linking construction contracts, which
are not fixed price, and settling accounts on contracts which
overrun. These indices have been used on contracts from the
Channel Tunnel down to quite small contracts. They are now
published by the Department for Business and Enterprise
but have been published by its predecessors for 30 years.

3.16 ILCH and Gross Wages and Salaries data are provided to
Eurostat in order to meet two separate European Regulations.
The need for these outputs is driven by Eurostats desire to
have regular and timely information on labour costs for the
purposes of monitoring labour market conditions both across
and within Europe, as well as to allow the European Central
Bank to monitor inflationary pressures. Eurostat publishes a
quarterly press release with detailed information about the
development in all Member States and the EU. In Eurostats
view, the UK figures are an important component of the EU
aggregates.

Usage by Outside
Bodies
3.17 Income Data Services (IDS) use the AEI as background
information for their readers. They publish the key AEI
sectors in their monthly report. IDS would like to be able to
get extra information on the factors that might be causing
shifts in earnings growth, although they recognise that the
ONS is usually helpful when they have queries of this nature.

3.18 The user questionnaire was also sent to a selection of ad-hoc
users of the earnings data. Typically the information is used to
calculate wages contracts. The following response is fairly
standard: the information is used as a basis for calculating a
labour cost index used on variation of price contracts. This
information is required on a monthly basis to avoid any undue
delay in invoicing procedures. The average earnings data is
also used at industry and sector level to establish economic
12
trends and comparisons between the various sectors of UK
industry.

3.19 A number of users (including the Bank of England and the
HM Treasury) commented adversely on the accessibility of
the earnings data. One user wanted to see the AEI published
earlier. Another commented on the gap of a week between the
AEI and AWE, suggesting it would be better if they were
published at the same time.




4.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS


4.1 The Index of Labour Costs per Hour (ILCH) and the Gross
Wages and Salaries (GWS) outputs were developed to meet
the UKs obligations under European Regulations on Labour
Costs and short-term statistics. The UK was instrumental in
the development of the regulations and has taken a leading
role in the further enhancement of the outputs, particularly
ILCH eg in the need for a series which excludes bonus
payments and the extension of ILCH to cover the whole
economy.

4.2 Each EU Member State will have developed or adapted
existing systems to meet the requirements of the European
Regulations. Discussions with colleagues in Europe and
analyses of their websites suggests very similar systems across
Europe ie with estimates based on the collection of data on
employment and earnings or wages from businesses and the
businesses are being recorded on a register for businesses
similar to the Inter-Departmental Business Register in the UK.
There are however some differences in practice across
countries:

some countries collect the data on a monthly basis while
others have a quarterly system. The Regulation only
requires quarterly data
there are some differences in the definition of bonuses or
irregular payments (there are also some differences in the
importance of these payments from country to country)
and further Regulation may be needed to ensure
consistency
the coverage may be restricted to the requirements of the
Regulation in some countries while some countries,
including the UK, cover the whole economy. The main
difference is in the coverage of the public administration,
13
health and education sectors, which are not currently
covered by the Regulation

4.3 These differences mentioned above make it difficult to
compile comprehensive comparisons, but some comparisons
are possible. ONS publishes international comparisons of
earnings for the manufacturing sector each month in Table
6.16 of the Economic and Labour Market Review (ELMR).
The data for other countries is taken from the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Main
Economic Indicators publication which is also published
monthly. Data for 13 countries appears in Table 6.16 of the
13, 7 (including the UK) provide monthly data and six provide
data on a quarterly basis.


5 RESPONDENTS VIEWS


5.1 The Triennial Review questionnaire was sent out to a sample
of 1,024 contributors. The sample was chosen so that it
provided a representative cross-section of businesses, both in
terms of industry and size. The questionnaire is
at Annex F. A summary of the responses is at Annex G. The
questionnaire was sent out on the same day as the MWSS
questionnaire for J uly 2008, but in a separate envelope.

5.2 There were 593 responses to the survey, a response rate of
58%. This response rate is significantly above the 40% rate
which is generally considered as needed to provide a robust
sample.

5.3 In addition to asking for information on costs, the survey
asked whether the respondents experienced any problems in
responding to the MWSS survey. A number of possible
problems were listed to guide the respondent; however a box
for any issues outside those presented was provided in the
questionnaire of a comments box. Analysing the responses to
this question:

96 per cent of the respondents felt that the terms and
explanations of the terms used on the questionnaire were clear
95 per cent had no difficulty in providing the information, as
the information was readily available or collected for their
own admin
89 per cent had no need to get help from others in order to
answer the questions
82 per cent had no need to wait for information that was
available at different times
14
73 per cent had no need to collect information from different
sources

5.4 Of the 593 responses, 36 respondents also provided comments
in the other box. These comments are summarised below:

the questionnaire could be clearer in places, for example there
was some confusion over the definition of arrears and it was
unclear whether the significant changes section referred to
the data for the month or for future changes
concern about the need to collect information from
different sources (eg the split of pay is not readily
available from our systems)
the difficulty in finding the time to provide the
information
the short deadline (the short length of time between the
data becoming available and the deadline for returning the
questionnaire)
the need for monthly information

5.5 Against these concerns, five respondents commented that they
found the questionnaire quick and easy to complete as the
information was extracted from existing reports: I find
absolutely no problem in completing this monthly survey, and
From my point of view this is very quick and easy to fill in
each month. . the information required is (in) a report
that I use anyway.

Complaints 5.6 During the period of J anuary 2008 to December 2008 there
were 72 complaints made by respondents. This is less than the
same period in 2007 where 101 complaints were made.

The complaints cover a range of issues, from the need for
selection (including complaints about the time in the sample
before being rotated out) to the time taken to complete the
questionnaire and concerns about confidentiality.


6. COSTS


Government costs 6.1 The Government costs of conducting the survey relate to the
data collection operation in Business Data Division, the Results
and Publication team processing the results and any related
information section costs eg in supporting Common Software.
At full economic costs, and using internal planning rates, the
cost of staff in these sections is: data collection including
questionnaire design and printing costs (415,000), results
processing (277,000) and IM (18,000) giving a total staff
cost of 710,000. The cost of questionnaire design, printing and
15
post etc is estimated at 60,000. This brings the total cost to
770,000 per annum.

Administrative
Burden costs
6.2

The Office for National Statistics is currently in the process of
adopting a new method for calculating the administrative costs
to business, in line with other European countries. Following
the introduction of this methodology, respondents costs will be
calculated and published as an addendum to this review.
6.3 Tables at Annex H show the time taken to complete the
questionnaire by size of company. As can be seem from the
data, large businesses tend to take more time completing the
questionnaire.

7. OPTIONS FOR CHANGE


7.1 The Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey is a key component
of the AEI, AWE and ILCH. The AEI is published in the
Labour Market Statistics Statistical Bulletin and there is no other
source of monthly earnings statistics to meet these needs.
Users in the Bank of England and the Treasury have
emphasised the importance of the outputs. The survey should
therefore continue in its present form.

Recommendation: the MWSS should continue in its
present form.

7.2 As noted in paragraph 2.7, the rotation rate used in the MWSS
is 20 per cent a year. This means that once selected as part of
the sample survey, a business will remain in that sample for five
years. This is generally much longer than in other monthly
surveys and it has caused the occasional complaint. The
reason for the low rotation rate is to ensure that there are a
relatively high number of matched pairs responses to
consecutive months (the AEI is based on matched pairs) and
therefore a reasonable degree of stability. It would be worth
reviewing the need for this degree of stability once the AWE
replaces the AEI as the National Statistic.

Recommendation: the MWSS rotation rate should be
reviewed when the AWE replaces the AEI as the National
Statistic.

16
Validation / Selective
editing
7.3 As noted in paragraph 2.10, the MWSS data is validated using
the standard Common Software systems, including selective
editing. There have been a few occasions recently when data
has been excluded for further validation by the selective
editing gates despite having a significant impact on results.
The system is based on the impact on the AEI and it is some
time since it has been reviewed. It would be worth reviewing
this area once the AWE replaces the AEI, although probably
not until the transition to the new Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) has been completed. The SIC is used to
classify businesses in terms of their economic activity. The
classification provides a framework for the collection,
tabulation, presentation and analysis of data.


Recommendation: the validation/selective editing system
used in the MWSS should be reviewed following the move
to the new SIC.

User views 7.4 Although users are in general content with the existing outputs
there are a number of areas for further improvement or
development which emerged from the user survey.

7.5 Reconciliation with the National Accounts: - the work on
reconciling the AEI and AWE has been recognised by users
but there is a desire to see further work on reconciliation with
the National Accounts outputs for Compensation of
Employees. It is recommended that this work should
commence as soon as possible.

Recommendation: The ONS should produce a
reconciliation of the AEI/AWE with the National Accounts
estimates for Compensation of Employees.

7.6 Publication of the employment data underlying AWE: - the
AWE data enables the user to calculate the total value of
earnings or bonuses, provided they have access to the
employment data. Although employment data are published
from other sources, there is a desire to see (and use) the
employment estimates underlying the AWE.

Recommendation: The ONS should make the employment
estimates underlying the AWE available on the Web.

7.7 Note for users on the methodology underlying ILCH: - there is
a need to produce a note on how ILCH is constructed,
including the data sources used.

Recommendation: The ONS should produce a note for
17
users on the methodology used in constructing ILCH,
including the data sources used.

7.8 Greater disaggregation (e.g. by region and industry): the
existing outputs relate to GB or UK as a whole. Adding a
regional dimension would add considerably to the resource
costs and is not really a viable option. On the industry
dimension, users may not be fully aware of the detail that is
currently made available and it would be worth thinking of
ways of giving this greater publicity, rather than releasing
further detail that may not be of sufficient quality and may not
be needed.

Recommendation: The ONS should make users aware of
the industrial detail that already exists for the AEI and
AWE.

7.9 Clarity over publication dates: there is a need to make users
more aware of the AWE publication timetable.

Recommendation: The ONS should make users more
aware of the AWE publication timetable.

7.10 Improved accessibility: - A number of users commented on
how difficult it was to find the AEI and AWE data on the Web
and this may explain one or two of the comments about a
desire to see greater disaggregation when the information may
already be there.

Recommendation: The ONS should improve the
accessibility of the earnings data on the Web.

7.11 Improved timeliness: - one user wanted to see the AEI
published earlier. Another commented on the gap of a week
between the AEI and AWE, suggesting it would be better if
they were published at the same time.

Recommendation: The ONS should review the timeliness
of the AEI/AWE, following the move of the AWE to
National Statistic status.

18
Respondent views 7.12 The main options for change arising from the respondents
survey are discussed below.

7.13 Questionnaire review: - there was some confusion on the
definition of arrears and on whether significant changes
referred to the current data or future changes. It is some time
since the MWSS questionnaire was reviewed and it is
recommended that there should be a review during 2009.

Recommendation: The ONS should conduct a review of
the MWSS questionnaire.

7.14 Timetable: - some respondents felt that there was not enough
time between the information becoming available and the
deadline for transmitting the data to the ONS. The move of the
AWE to National Statistic status and the recommendation
above to review the timeliness provides an opportunity to
review the MWSS timetable.

Recommendation: The ONS should review the MWSS
timetable, following the move of the AWE to National
Statistic status.

7.15 Time taken to complete the questionnaire: - a small number of
respondents are taking a long time to complete the survey. On
further examination of these cases it is possible that some
respondents have included the (lapsed) time that they need to
wait for other information. It could help to reduce the burden
for some respondents if we reiterate that best estimates are
acceptable.

Recommendation: The ONS should reiterate that best
estimates are acceptable.















Annex A
Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire and guidance notes















































20
PLEASE READ THESE NOTES AND THE NOTES ON THE BACK PAGE BEFORE COMPLETING THIS
QUESTIONNAIRE
2. Weekly paid employees (see notes on back page)
(if fortnightly payroll - divide gross pay by 2 to show weekly equivalent in box 50).
2a. Number of weekly paid employees paid in the last week of the month.
(Those whose pay is included in box 50)..............................................................................
2b. Total Gross pay paid to employees in the last week of the month (see 4c and notes)......
2c. Advanced holiday pay included in Total Gross pay...............................................................
2d. Pay award arrears included in Total Gross pay........................................................................
2e. Bonus/commission included in Total Gross pay......................................................................
Please put a cross in the boxes to indicate significant changes to weekly paid employees * delete as appropriate
More/Less * overtime More/Fewer * temps Redundancies Industrial action
New pay rates Please give details below Other change
Please specify in comments
box at question 6
3. Significant Changes to Weekly Pay
This information will help us to validate your data and should reduce the need to query the figures with you.
For New Pay rates:
Percentage increase (if possible)
Who received it (e.g. percentage of
staff, or number of staff affected)
If back dated, from when?
% Day Month Year
1 3 4 X 4 B 1/08
NFJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
MEI
MBE
MRQ
40
50
60
70
80
90
100 110
120
1. Contact Name and Telephone Number
Who should we call if we have any questions?
Contact Name
Telephone Number
Signature................................................................................... Date......................................................
! ! ! ! ! do not use commas
,
or dashes -
! ! ! ! ! ensure letters and numbers are printed and centred within each box
! ! ! ! ! do not cross sevens 7 or zeros
! ! ! ! ! complete in black ink
This questionnaire will be scanned, therefore please:
0
/
! ! ! ! ! round your answer to the nearest or , (but omit pence) for example 1,702.70p =
21
4. Monthly paid employees (see notes on back page)
4a. Please put a cross in the boxes that
indicate how frequently employees are
paid.
calendar month four weekly five weekly
Your answers to questions 4c-4e below should then correspond to these categories.
This information will help us to validate your data and should reduce the need to query the figures with you.
For New Pay rates:
Percentage increase (if possible)
Who received it (e.g. percentage of
staff, or number of staff affected)
If back dated, from when?
4b. Number of monthly paid employees actually paid in the month............................................
4c. Total Gross pay paid to employees in the month.......................
(include pay award arrears, bonuses and commission, and PRP
- see notes)
4d. Pay award arrears included in Total Gross pay..........................
4e. Bonus/commission/annual PRP profit included in
Total Gross pay....................................................................................
6. Comments If you put a cross for Other change in Questions 3 or 5 please give a reason below:
5. Significant Changes to Monthly Pay
%
1 3 4 X 2 C
1/06
calendar month
four weekly
five weekly
calendar month
four weekly
five weekly
calendar month
four weekly
five weekly
FQI
MCI
NFJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
NHJ
Please put a cross in the boxes to indicate significant changes to monthly paid employees * delete as appropriate
More/Less * overtime More/Fewer * temps Redundancies Industrial action
New pay rates Please give details below Other change
Please specify in comments
box at question 6
MEI
MBE
MRQ
130 131 132
140
151
152
153
171
172
173
181
182
183
190
200 210
220
300
22
Weekly paid employees
! If the last week of the month is affected by holidays please use a more representative week.
Question 2a - box 40 - Number of weekly paid employees
! Include all employees in Great Britain, (that is, England, Scotland and Wales) both full and part time who received pay
in the relevant period.
! Include overtime and shift allowance payments, holiday pay, pay awards, bonus/commission and voluntary
employee contributions to, and annual profit from, profit related pay schemes (PRP).
Question 2b - box 50 - Total Gross pay
Question 2c - box 60 - Holiday pay
! Holiday pay, paid in advance included in Total Gross pay 2b (estimate if necessary).
Question 2e - box 80 - Bonus/commission
! Bonuses, commissions, performance pay (e.g. productivity bonuses), annual profit from profit related pay
schemes (PRP), long service awards, appearance money (sporting professions) included in Total Gross pay 2b.
Monthly paid employees
! ! ! ! ! If your pay pattern is different from those shown please ring your contact on page 1 for advice.
! ! ! ! ! If there are two pay days in the same month only give details for one.
Question 4b - box 140 - Number of monthly paid employees
! Include all employees in Great Britain, (that is, England, Scotland and Wales) both full and part time who received
monthly, 4 weekly or 5 weekly pay in the relevant period.
Question 4c - box 151 to 153 - Total Gross pay
! Include overtime and shift allowance payments, pay awards, bonus/commission and voluntary employee
contributions to, and annual profit from, profit related pay schemes (PRP).
Question 4d - box 171 to 173 - Pay award arrears
! Arrears of pay owing to pay awards included in Total Gross pay 4c.
Question 4e - box 181 to 183 - Bonus/commission/annual PRP profit
! Bonuses, commissions, performance pay (e.g. productivity bonuses), annual profit from profit related pay schemes
(PRP), long service awards, appearance money (sporting professions) included in Total Gross pay 4c.
Exclude (for weekly and monthly paid)
! Trainees on Government schemes
! Employers NI and contribution to pension schemes
! Directors fees
! Employees working abroad
! Signing on fees (sporting professionals)
! Payment in lieu of notice
! Redundancy pay (taxable and non-taxable)
! Accrued holiday pay
1 3 4 X 2 D 1/08
Question 2d - box 70 - Pay award arrears
! Arrears of pay owing to pay awards included in Total Gross pay 2b.
! Employees in Northern Ireland
! Benefits employees receive through pay e.g. family working tax credit
! Expenses payments for attending meetings e.g. councillors
IMPORTANT: Please read these notes before completing this questionnaire
23
Annex B
Progress of Recommendations from the 1997 Triennial Review


Recommendation Progress
Retain present size bands with the
exception of moving the 25 boundary to
20, to line up with other major ONS
business surveys.
Implemented
Stratify by industry (SIC92 section or
subsection) in addition to size.
Implemented
Rotate in each stratum monthly with a
rotation rate of 20 per cent of the sample
replaced each year.
Implemented
Using the IDBR as the sampling frame.
Overlap the sample by phasing out the
old panel as quickly as resources will
allow.
Implemented
Continue with the present estimation
system, but use up-to-date raising factors.
Implemented and further developed by
Turnbull-King Review
Continue to construct the AEI as the ratio
of average earning in the current month
to the base month.
Implemented and further developed by
Turnbull-King Review
Improve the documentation of the
underlying index methodology and
processes.
Implemented
Consider the use of X-11 Arima for trend
calculation in conjunction with Time
Series Analysis Unit of ONS.
Implemented and now updated to X-12
Arima.
Replace the divisor 4 1/3 for monthly
wages data by 4.348.
Implemented
Assess response error in the pay week
used, and revise questionnaire if
necessary.
Implemented
Investigate the potential for using
common software for the MWSS.
Implemented












24
Annex C
Differences between AEI and AWE



AEI

AWE

What it
measures

Monthly change in average
earnings, per job
Average weekly wage, per job
Estimation Matched-pairs estimator,
little or no imputation for
non-response

Ratio estimator, extensive
imputation for non-response
Sample size 7,500

8,000
Weighting Updated annually

Updated monthly
Outliers Based on growth

Based on levels

Firms with
fewer than 20
employees
Included in the industry
employment weights.
Average earnings growth is
assumed to move in line
with the larger businesses

Included in the industry
employment weights. Estimates
of average earnings derived
from the Annual Survey of
Hours and Earnings
























25
Annex D
Triennial Review letter and questionnaire for MWSS Users


<<Samantha Roe>>
<<Short Term Earning Results>>
Office for National Statistics
Cardiff Road
Newport
NP10 8XG

<<Name>> <<Date>>
<<Company Name>>
<<Company Address>> Our Ref:<<RU Ref. Class



Dear Sir/Madam

Triennial Review of the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
Voluntary Survey of Users

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is required by Government to regularly review each of
its statistical surveys. We are currently in the process of conducting a review of the Monthly
Wages and Salaries Survey which is used to produce the Average Earnings Index (AEI), the
experimental Average Weekly Earnings (AWE), indicator and the experimental Index of Labour
Costs per Hour (ILCH) and would be grateful if you, as one of the main users of the information,
could take the time to provide us with comments in the voluntary questionnaires provided.

The review is a requirement of the Prime Ministers instructions on survey control. As well as
consulting with users of the information, we also consult with respondents to determine the
costs to them and to Government. The main objective of the review is to determine the
efficiency and effectiveness of all of our procedures, and to identify where improvements can be
made.

We would be grateful if you could complete and return the voluntary questionnaires that apply
by 5
th
September 2008. Shortly after receipt of the completed questionnaires you may be
contacted by a member of our staff to discuss your responses further.


Please note that a copy of the final review will be available from our website
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase early next year. You may also wish to note that National
Statistics data series are also available.

We look forward to receiving your completed questionnaires. If you have any queries please
feel free to contact me at the above address.

Yours faithfully,

Samantha Roe
Short Term Earnings Results


26

Triennial Review for the MWSS
Users of the Average Earnings Index (AEI)


1. How relevant is the information you receive on the AEI?
Please click the appropriate box



Very relevant


Quite relevant


Not very relevant


Not at all relevant


2. Do you use all of the information from on the AEI?
Please click the appropriate box


Yes
Go to
question 4

No Go to question 3


3. Please specify in the box below








4. Is there any additional information you require on the AEI?
Please click the appropriate box


Yes Go to question 5


No
Go to
question
6

27
5. Please specify in the box below








6. How easy or difficult is it to access the information?

For each method that you use please click the appropriate box




Very
easy
Quite
easy
Not very
easy
Not at all
easy N/A
Web



Paper



Other




7. How satisfied are you with the format of the information that you access?
Include your opinions on usability, understand-ability, level of detail and visual aspects

For each method that you use please click the appropriate box



Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied N/A
Web



Paper



Other




8. Does the frequency of the information you receive from on the AEI meet your needs?
Please click the appropriate box



Yes Go to question 10


No
Go to
question
6 Go to question 9


Please specify in the box

28







9. What is the information that you receive on the AEI used for?









10. How accurate do you find the information that you receive on the AEI?
Please click the appropriate box

Very accurate



Quite accurate



Not very accurate



Not at all accurate







11. If you have any further comments please provide in the box below












B. Quality Attributes

This section refers to the quality attributes recognised by ONS and the European Statistical
Community. Please evaluate the information you receive on the AEI against these quality
attributes.

A glossary of the terms used can be found at www.statistics.gov.uk/qualitymeasures

Please use a scale of 1 - 5 where 1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = fair, 4 = good, 5 = very good
29

For each attribute please click the appropriate box


1 2 3 4 5


very
poor

poor fair

good
very
good

Relevance



Accuracy



Comparability



Timeliness



Accessibility



Coherence





Who should we call if we have any questions?
Contact Name




Telephone Number



Thank you for your cooperation.



















30
Annex E
Summary of Users questionnaire


Summary of the users of the AEI responses


Question 1

How relevant do you find the information you receive on the AEI?

Number of Users
Very relevant 13
Quite relevant 0
Not very relevant 0
Not at all relevant 0


Questions 2 and 3

Do you use all the information on the AEI?

Number of Users
Yes 7
No 6


Questions 4 and 5

Is there any addition information you require on the AEI?

Number of Users
Yes 4
No 9


Question 6

How easy or difficult is it to access the information?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 3 3 2 0 5
Paper 3 2 0 0 8
Other 7 0 0 0 6



31
Question 7

How satisfied are you with the format of the information that you access?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 3 3 2 0 5
Paper 3 2 0 0 8
Other 6 1 0 0 6


Question 8

Does the frequency of the information you receive on the AEI meet your needs?

Number of Users
Yes 13
No 0


Question 10

How accurate do you find the information that you receive on the AEI?

Number of Users
Very accurate 6
Quite accurate 5
Not very accurate 0
Not at all accurate 0
No response 2


Section B: Quality Attributes

This section refers to the quality attributes recognised by ONS and the European Statistical
Community.

Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
No
response
Relevance 1 0 0 6 4 2
Accuracy 0 0 0 7 4 2
Comparability 0 1 1 3 5 3
Timeliness 0 0 3 5 4 1
Accessibility 1 0 1 6 4 1
Coherence 0 1 1 4 5 2



32
Summary of the users of the AWE responses


Question 1

How relevant do you find the information you receive on the AWE?

Number of Users
Very relevant 2
Quite relevant 1
Not very relevant 1
Not at all relevant 0
No response 1


Questions 2 and 3

Do you use all the information on the AWE?

Number of Users
Yes 2
No 2
No response 1


Questions 4 and 5

Is there any addition information you require on the AWE?

Number of Users
Yes 2
No 2
No response 1


Question 6

How easy or difficult is it to access the information?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 0 3 0 0 2
Paper 0 0 0 0 5
Other 1 0 0 0 4




33
Question 7

How satisfied are you with the format of the information that you access?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 3 3 2 0 5
Paper 3 2 0 0 8
Other 6 1 0 0 6


Question 8

Does the frequency of the information you receive on the AWE meet your needs?

Number of Users
Yes 2
No 2
No response 1


Question 10

How accurate do you find the information that you receive on the AWE?

Number of Users
Very accurate 0
Quite accurate 3
Not very accurate 0
Not at all accurate 0
No response 2


Section B: Quality Attributes

This section refers to the quality attributes recognised by ONS and the European Statistical
Community.

Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
No
response
Relevance 0 0 0 1 2 2
Accuracy 0 0 1 2 0 2
Comparability 0 1 0 0 1 3
Timeliness 0 0 1 2 0 2
Accessibility 0 1 1 1 0 2
Coherence 0 1 0 1 1 2


34
Summary of the users of the ILCH responses


Question 1

How relevant do you find the information you receive on the ILCH?

Number of Users
Very relevant 2
Quite relevant 3
Not very relevant 0
Not at all relevant 0
No response 0


Questions 2 and 3

Do you use all the information on the ILCH?

Number of Users
Yes 2
No 3
No response 0


Questions 4 and 5

Is there any addition information you require on the ILCH?

Number of Users
Yes 2
No 3
No response 0


Question 6

How easy or difficult is it to access the information?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 0 3 0 1 1
Paper 0 0 0 0 5
Other 0 0 0 0 5




35
Question 7

How satisfied are you with the format of the information that you access?

Very
satisfied
Quite
satisfied
Not very
satisfied
Not at all
satisfied
N/A
Web 2 2 0 0 1
Paper 0 0 0 0 5
Other 0 0 0 0 5


Question 8

Does the frequency of the information you receive on the ILCH meet your needs?

Number of Users
Yes 3
No 2
No response 0


Question 10

How accurate do you find the information that you receive on the ILCH?

Number of Users
Very accurate 0
Quite accurate 3
Not very accurate 1
Not at all accurate 0
No response 1


Section B: Quality Attributes

This section refers to the quality attributes recognised by ONS and the European Statistical
Community.

Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
No
response
Relevance 0 0 1 2 2 0
Accuracy 0 1 1 3 0 0
Comparability 0 1 1 3 0 0
Timeliness 0 0 2 2 1 0
Accessibility 0 0 1 2 2 0
Coherence 0 1 2 1 1 0


36
Annex F
Triennial Review questionnaire for MWSS Respondents















































37
Harry Duff
Short Term Earnings Results
Office for National Statistics
Cardiff Road
Newport
NP10 8XG
Dear Sir/Madam
Review of the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
Yours faithfully,
Harry Duff
Statistician
Short Term Earnings Results
I am writing to ask for your help with the review of the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey. This review is
conducted every three years and looks at the time taken to complete the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
and the tasks involved.
The review is being conducted in line with the recent cross-government Better Regulation initiative to measure
and reduce administrative burden. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has adapted its information
requirements to use the recommended approach to cost measurement in conducting survey reviews. ONS is
committed to reducing the burden placed on businesses from its surveys and your responses will help us
understand how we can do this.
We would be grateful if the person who completes the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey could take
approximately 5 minutes to complete this questionnaire. The deadline for completion is 5 September 2008.
Your response will make an important contribution to the review process.
All the information you provide will be treated as confidential and neither you nor your business will be identified
in reports on the review. Participation is voluntary but we hope you will help us by sharing your views on
the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey. However, if you prefer not to respond please let us know by returning
the blank questionnaire in the enclosed prepaid envelope.
The findings from the review will be available on the National Statistics website. If you have any questions about
this review or require any further information then please contact us on tel: 01633 456771 or 01633
456772. Alternatively, you can write to us at the address on the letterhead.
Thank you in advance for your help.
9 9 9 9 9 9 7 0
! !
!
!
! !
1/08 13401
38
1. Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. It should be completed by the person who
spent the most time completing the last Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire.
2. Are you the person who filled in the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire?
Yes
No
Please give this questionnaire to the person who spent the most time completing the
4. Are you an external accountant or bookkeeper who is not on the payroll of the business named on
this questionnaire?
Yes
No
Go to question 10
3. What was the total time taken to complete the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire?
Hours Minutes
"
"
"
time spent extracting and preparing information fromyour systems
any other time spent in relation to completing the survey
X
X
X
X
9 9 9 9 9 9 7 0
! !
!
!
! !
5. How long was taken by each person in completing the questionnaire?
Owner/family member. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Senior Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
time spent extracting and preparing information fromyour systems
"
"
"
If the response is zero please leave the box blank
Technicians/Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrative/Clerical Person. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Internal Professional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
any other time spent in relation to completing the survey
Please include:
the time taken to become familiar with the questionnaire
Hours Minutes
1/08 13402
Please include:
the time taken to become familiar with the questionnaire
Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire.
the time of everyone who helped you to complete the questionnaire "
"
the time of everyone who helped you to complete the questionnaire
Other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Please specify below
39
1/08 13403
6. How much of the information requested for the Monthly Wages and
Salaries Survey questionnaire do you hold for your own business purposes?
X
X
X
Please one box only
X
9 9 9 9 9 9 7 0
! !
!
!
! !
Please include:
7. What were the total internal business set-up costs for
responding to the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire?
"
staff time that is specifically related to set-up activities
any one-off costs related to completing the questionnaire for the
first time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"
any purchases, for example new software
Please comment on any set-up costs in the box below
"
None . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Some. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. Were there any external costs involved in completing the
Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey questionnaire?
Accountant/bookkeeper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other (please specify in the box below). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
p
X
p

.
.
p

.
40
9. What problems did you experience when responding to the Monthly Wages and
Salaries Survey questionnaire?
Thank you for your cooperation.
1/08 13404
Contact Name
Telephone
Number
10. Who should we call if we have any questions?
9 9 9 9 9 9 7 0
! !
!
!
! !
For every category you must either yes or no X
X X
Yes No
Had to collect information from different sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Needed help from others in order to answer some questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Had to wait for information that was available at different times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Available information did not match the information requested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unclear terms and explanations of terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X X
X X
X X
X X
Other (please specify below)
41
Annex G
Summary of Respondents questionnaire


The following responses were obtained from the respondents questionnaire.


Question 3

What was the total time taken to complete the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire?

The time taken to complete the MWSS questionnaire was between 1 minute and 30 hours

The mean time taken to complete the questionnaire was 25 minutes.


Question 4

Are you an external accountant or bookkeeper who is not on the payroll of the business named
on this questionnaire?

Number of respondents Percentage
Yes 49 8.26%
No 544 91.74%


Question 5

How long was taken by each person in completing the questionnaire?

The table below shows the position and number of respondents, as well as the mean time taken
to complete the survey by each position. 47 respondents said that it took more than one person
to fill the MWSS questionnaire in.

Number of respondents Mean time in minutes
Owner/Family member 9 25
Director 49 17
Senior Manager 103 29
Other manager 104 26
Internal Professional 71 41
Technicians/Officers 38 21
Administrative/Clerical
Person
193 44
Other 26 31



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Question 6

How much of the information requested for the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire do you hold for your own business purposes?

Number of respondents Percentage
None 50 8.44%
Some 81 13.65%
All 407 77.91%


Question 7

Were there any internal setup costs for responding to the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire?

Number of respondents Percentage
Yes 62 10.45%
No 527 89.55%


Question 8

Were there any external setup costs for responding to the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire?

Number of respondents Percentage
None 590 99.5%
Accountant/Bookkeeper 2 0.34%
Other 1 0.16%


















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Question 9

What problems did you experience when responding to the Monthly Wages and Salaries Survey
questionnaire?

Number of respondents Percentage
Had to collect information
for difference sources
158 26.6%
Needed help from others
in order to answer some
questions
65 10%
Had to wait for
information that was
available at different times
105 17.7%
Available information did
not match the information
requested
27 4.6%
Unclear terms and
explanation of terms
23 3.9%
Other 36 6%
No response 354 59.6%




The table below shows the number of respondents and how many problems they marked on the
review questionnaire.


Number of problems Number of respondents
1 116
2 85
3 28
4 6
5 4













44
Annex H
Analysis of time taken to complete the survey questionnaire


Size Band Mean Time in minutes
1 (20-99 employment) 19
2 (100-499 employment) 26
3 (500-999 employment) 43
4 (1000+employment) 66


45