New calculation of the production and productivity indexes in the Federal Republic of Germany

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Herbel, Norbert¹ | Bald, Christiane²

Note: [1] Norbert Herbel, born in 1948, completed his studies of mathematics and economics at the Universities of Karlsruhe and Heidelberg in 1976, taking his degree of Dr. rer. pol. Since 1977 at the Federal Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, he has been in charge of the calculation of production and productivity indexes for the Federal Republic of Germany since 1980.

Note: [2] Christiane Bald, born in 1951, completed her studies of economics at the University of Marburg in 1980, taking her degree of Dr. rer. pol. Since 1980 at the Federal Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, she has been in charge of the cost structure survey in building industry since 1983.

Abstract: As part of the conversion of the national production indexes to the base year 1980, the Federal Statistical Office of the Federal Republic of Germany has introduced an entirely new concept of the methods of calculation. The production indexes are for the first time calculated and presented in two forms – according to enterprises and kind-of-activity units. This new system of index construction has become possible by matching detailed value added and production data from different statistics. On this basis it was possible to quantify value added data for kind-of-activity units by estimation. The structure of the enterpises thus can be shown as classified by the constituent kind-of-activity units. As part of the new concept of the index system, a modem procedure of adjustment for irregularities of the calendar based on method of time series analysis has also been introduced in the production indexes.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1985-3205

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 185-209, 1985