Surveys

The Business Tendency Survey

Each month, NIER asks a large number of business firms for their assessment of the development of the economy. These surveys cover manufacturing, the building sector, and portions of the private services sector. Firms are questioned concerning output, new orders, employment, prices, etc., and the results are published in the series of reports entitled Monthly Business Tendency Survey and Quarterly Business Tendency Survey (the latter is more comprehensive). Similar surveys are conducted in other EU countries.
The Business Tendency Survey provides fast and accurate information

The aim of the Business Tendency Survey is to be a fast source of reliable indicators pertaining to outcome, the present situation and expectations for important economic variables lacking current quantitative data.
 
The Business Tendency Survey is published on a monthly and quarterly basis. The quarterly survey was launched by the National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) in the 1950s. Monthly surveys have been conducted since 1996. The quarterly Business Tendency Survey encompasses more questions. All EU member states conduct similar business surveys each month with the questions in the NIER's Survey harmonised to EU guidelines.

The Business Tendency Survey covers firms in the business sector. It is intended to provide a quick qualitative indication of actual outcomes and expectations regarding central economic variables for which no quantitative data are yet available. The variables in the survey include new orders, output, and employment. Among the data from the survey are so-called net percentages, which show the proportion of firms indicating a positive change in a particular variable, less the proportion indicating a negative change.

Every third month (January, April, July, and October) a quarterly survey is conducted. The difference between the quarterly and the monthly survey is that the quarterly survey covers more questions.

Business Tendency Survey NACE Rev. 2 Sample limits Number of employees Number of firms
Manufacturing 10-33 ≥20 1594
Construction 41-43 ≥20 486
Trade 1592
-Sales and repair establishments for motor vehicles 45 ≥20 199
-Wholesale trade 46 ≥10 319
-Retail sale of non-durable goods 47.3-9, 47.19 ≥5 600
-Man of food 47.2, 47.11 ≥50 474
Private Service sectors 49-96 ≥20 2799
Total number of companies 6471
Note: Sewage, refuse disposal, sanitation, hotels, restaurants and companies for renting and operating own or leased real estate don't have the same sample limits.