Lithuania - Wage & Salaries

Average Monthly Gross Earnings. This release measures the economic activity on an annual basis. Geographic coverage includes the ten NUTS 3 counties and the national level. NACE 2 branches collected under each county include: 

• TOTAL All NACE branches
• A Agriculture, forestry and fishing
• B_C Mining, quarrying and manufacturing
• B Mining and quarrying
• C Manufacturing
• D35 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
• E36_TO_E39 Water supply; sewerage; waste management and remediation activities
• F41_TO_F43 Construction
• G45_TO_G47 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
• H49_TO_H53 Transportation and storage
• I55_I56 Accommodation and food service activities
• J58_TO_J63 Information and communication
• K64_TO_K66 Financial and insurance activities
• L Real estate activities
• M69_TO_M75 Professional, scientific and technical activities
• N77_TO_N82 Administrative and support service activities
• O84 Public administration and defense; compulsory social security
• P85 Education
• Q86_TO_Q88 Human health and social work activities
• R90_TO_R93 Arts, entertainment and recreation
• S94_TO_S96 Other service activities

Definition and periodicity

Average gross monthly earnings are earnings in cash, which include the basic earnings for the work performed in accordance with payment systems and all additional payments for the work before deduction of taxes and state social insurance contri­butions payable by the employee.

The amount of average gross monthly earnings, individual enterprises excluded, is published every quarter.

The indicator is produced by the Labour Statistics Division of Statistics Lithuania.

Data sources

Average gross monthly earnings are calculated in accordance with data of the Quarterly Survey on Earnings. The time for the filling in the questionnaire DA-01 was 2 hours and 29 minutes in I quarter 2008.

Methods used

The survey is conducted applying a sampling method. The list of enterprises, institutions and organizations (hereinafter referred to as enterprises), from which a sample was designed, has been based on the data of the Statistical Register of Economic Entities having the status of a legal entity. Enterprises without a status of a legal entity such as wards, prosecutor's offices of districts, divisions of the army, which have not a centralized accounting, were included as well. The sample size in 2008 equals 7976 units.

Compliance with the country's legal acts and EU requirements

Since I quarter 2000, the methodology for the calculation of earnings satisfies the requirements set for this indicator by Eurostat and the description of earnings applied in the Labour Code and other legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania.

Main purpose and users of the indicator

Average gross monthly earnings in the whole economy, individual enterprises excluded, are applied to the calculation of various benefits and contributions according to national legal acts. They are relevant for the assessment of the level of economic development of the country, preparation of the forecasts of the economic growth, evaluation of equal possibilities for men and women. This indicator is used to make economic job as well as social security-related decisions.

The users are: institutions of the State and Government authorities, the media, representatives of business and science, students and European institutions, etc.

Comparability

Time series of the indicator are comparable since I quarter 2000.

Coherence

The indicator, which is calculated using the data of the Quarterly Survey on Earnings, differs from the average monthly gross earnings in the reference year due to the different coverage of enterprises. Individual enterprises are not included in the calculations of earnings every quarter. Definitions of indicators and calculation methods are the same.

The indicator Average gross monthly earnings is not identical to the indicator Wages and salaries, which is calculated according to the data of the business statistics, because definitions of these indicators are different.

Gross earnings exclude: payments to employees leaving the enterprise, daily allowances, material allowances for the employee or his family, sick leave of the first two days, other allowances paid to employee, whereas gross wages and salaries include them.  

Average gross monthly earnings, individual enterprises excluded, which are calculated every quarter are not harmonised and comparable with the indicator Average monthly earnings, which is calculated on the basis of the data of Sodra due to the different definitions of indicators, calculation methods and the scope of enterprises (Sodra includes individual enterprises).

To the scope of the indicator Sodra includes payments to employees leaving the enterprise and other compensations, allowances, the value of prizes and gifts, etc., whereas to the average monthly earnings, which are calculated at Statistics Lithuania, excludes them.

Timeliness, punctuality and accessibility

After the reference period the indicator is published in the press release, also it has to be published in the annex of the Official Gazette no later than on the last working day of the second month after the reference quarter.

The indicator is given in the information note and in the publication Earnings in 2008 by quarter and Economic and Social Development in Lithuania not later than on the 65^th–90^th calendar day after the end of the reference quarter. On the same day the average gross monthly earnings are published in the Database of Indicators, at http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank.The indicator is submitted to European institutions as well.

The average gross monthly earnings are published by sector (public and private), kind of economic activity, county, category of employees (manual and non-manual workers) and sex.

Accuracy

Statistical estimates of the average gross monthly earnings that were derived from data on sampled enterprises represent the range of legal units (enterprises). The relative standard error (RSE) was chosen to be the measure of the reliability of estimates. While designing the sample, a requirement that the required limit of RSE was 3 per cent in the whole economy by kind of economic activity was taken into account.

Non-response of enterprises influences the accuracy of statistical estimates. Two kinds of non-response are calculated: legitimate and illegitimate ones. Legitimate reasons are: bankruptcy of the enterprise, its li­quidation, suspension of economic activity. Non-response to the questionnaire committed by an operating enterprise is treated as illegitimate. Estimated average values of the varia­b­les in the corresponding stratum are ascribed to these units.

The confidence interval as the other measure of error is calculated as well.

In the case of non-response to the separate question of the statistical survey the imputation of the value of the indicator is used.   

Occasionally revised

http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/methodology/view/?id=21&pq_id=1578