Austria - Wage & Salaries

The tariff wage index (TLI) 16 (basis: annual average 2016=100) measures the minimum wafe development in Austria. The TLI is an important evaluation criterion for wage negotiations and together with other figures on wage and price developments, represents an important and very up-to-date economic indicator. For Austria, the wage index is detailed by industry and attachment (salaried, semi-skilled, etc.). Monthly from 2004.

The index of gross wages and salaries has been calculated and published for the industry and construction sector since January 1996. There are no differences in definition between the old concept and the EU-harmonised definition of variables that has been effective since 2002, which was amended by an EU regulation and made binding on the member states (council regulation (EC) No. 1165/98 as amended by commission regulation (EC) No. 1158/2005).

The data are derived from short term statistics in industry and construction. Essentially, data from all short term statistics survey units is incorporated into the index calculation, with the result that the representativity of the indices calculated is predetermined by the score of the short term statistics surveys. According to the principle of a concentration survey, the Surveys take account only of those establishments and enterprises in the industries and construction sector (ÖNACE Sections B to F) that have a minimum number of employees on a common survey date of the previous year (applicable to all months of the given year), respectively since reference year 2008 turnover exceed a certain threshold (as long as thresholds for employees did not reach representativity criteria). Since the base 2000 ÖNACE divisions with fluctuating employee numbers, respectively with fluctuating turnover (since reference year 2008), standardised and constant workforce limits for the index calculation and its homogenous progression have been defined in order to ensure stable observation masses. In case also adjustments of the base take place.

The Laspeyres index concept is used for the calculation. To perform the calculation, index numbers are formed according to ÖNACE groups, divisions, sections and subsections as well as use categories by dividing the result for a particular month by the monthly average of the base year (2015=100).

In accordance with the EU regulation concerning short term statistics, the short term indicators specified in the regulation are to be rebased every five years – i.e. in years ending with a 0 or a 5. Since reference month January 2015 the basis year is 2015.

ÖNACE 2008 (NACE Rev. 2) was implemented in January 2008. An article on this topic will be published in the “Statistischen Nachrichten” in 2009.

At the source:

• Index of gross wages and salaries