Notice to Users – Integration of the Annual Business Inquiry and Manufacturing Sales and Exports
Users should note that Annual Business Inquiry 2011 and Manufacturing Sales and Exports 2011/12 information will now be collected from businesses using one unified form. The below notice to users explains the rationale behind this, as well as the expected benefits.
The Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry (Experimental) (NIABI)
From the 1st April 2011, the responsibility for the collection of data and production of official labour market and economic statistics transferred from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (DFP). This transfer mirrored the position in Great Britain where most business surveys and labour market data collection and statistical production have been transferred from the departments with policy responsibilities to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, it is important to note that there are no planned changes to the production of economic and labour market statistical publications and outputs as a result of the transfer.
The Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry (NIABI) collects both financial and employment information from businesses and other establishments and covers about two thirds of the economy. This includes the Production, Construction, Distribution and Service industries in Northern Ireland but excludes public sector activity for the most part.
Please note that the information presented throughout the April 2013 bulletin is based on reporting unit (head office) information, and is therefore not directly comparable with the April 2011 NIABI bulletin which reported on local unit (individual site) activity.
A number of methodological improvements were initially introduced in the production of Annual Business Inquiry results for 2008 and 2009. In order to take due account of user feedback in terms of ongoing development these statistics have therefore been described as "experimental", although they are considered to meet National Statistics standards. Also, DFP has moved to producing results using Statistics Canada’s Generalized Estimation System. This has allowed DFP to continue to produce estimates, with an associated measure of their quality.
Please see the below ‘review of the ABI – Quality Improvement Fund project’ document for more detail regarding this change.
Review of the ABI - Quality Improvement Fund project.(pdf 40kb)
Quinquennial Review
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is required to regularly review each of its statistical surveys, with the main objective of each review being to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of all of our procedures, and to identify where improvements can be made.
Please note that a review of the Annual Business Inquiry was conducted in early 2012, with an emphasis especially on the need for the information (evaluating the reason for conducting the survey), the conduct of the survey, costs, respondent's views, users' views and options for change. Please see below a report on the Quinquennial review of the Annual Business Survey.
Adobe Acrobat NIABI Quinquennial Review (pdf 68kb)
Headline data from the most recent survey:
Turnover and Gross Value Added
Turnover is defined as the value of total sales and work done by businesses in Northern Ireland was estimated to be worth £ 58,986 million in 2011 (excluding VAT); an increase of 1.0% compared to 2010. After expenditure on goods and services was accounted for, this represented a total figure of £ 17,779 million in terms of approximate Gross Value Added (GVA). GVA, which is a measure of the value of economic activity generated by businesses, decreased by 2.1% (£379 million) over the year.
Production Industries (Section B - E)
Turnover in the Production Industries increased by 6.2%, while GVA decreased by 5.6%. Manufacturing is the dominant industry (based on turnover) within Production, and experienced a similar increase in turnover (7.0%), but a more marked decrease in GVA (7.8%).
Construction Industries (Section F)
In the construction industries, turnover decreased by 3.8%. Purchases increased by 2.0% over the year, contributing to a GVA decrease of 13.3%.
Distribution Industries (Section G)
The Distribution Industries showed a decrease in turnover of 1.9%. A decrease in purchases over the year by 2.9% contributed to a GVA increase of 2.0%.
Other Service Industries (Sections H – S excl O)
Other Service Industries recorded a steady performance during 2011 with slight increases in GVA, Turnover, Purchases and Employment. GVA and turnover both reported a slight increase of 1.5% over the year, with GVA increasing to £6,726 million and turnover to £12,724 million.
[ 12-04-2013 ] Background to the Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry
[ 12-04-2013 ] Sample Coverage
The Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry (NIABI)
Historical results on a SIC 2003 basis
| Table name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 1 | NIABI Results by Section 2000-2007 | 35KB |
| Table 2 | NIABI Results by Manufacturing Sub-Section | 30KB |
Adobe Acrobat Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry on a Reporting Unit basis 2011 (pdf 691kb)
| Table Name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 3 | Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry - Total Purchases of Water and Energy | 11kb |
Results on a SIC 2007 Local Unit basis (Published April 2011)
Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry sub-regional results (Local Unit based)
| Table name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 4 | NIABI Results by DCA and NUTS3 2009 | 53KB |
Statistical Press Release
The latest statistical press release is available below:
Adobe Acrobat NI Annual Business Inquiry 2011 Press Release (40kb)
Northern Ireland Annual Business Inquiry - Quality and Revisions
| Table | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| 21 December 2011 | NIABI Quality Report | 34kb |
| 21 December 2011 | NIABI Revisions Policy | 13kb |
Usage of NIABI Data
The Annual Business Inquiry is designed and maintained to meet the requirements of a wide variety of users. A summary of these uses can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
Adobe Acrobat Usage of NIABI Data (14kb)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produce statistics on the Annual Business Survey, which represents about two thirds of the UK economy in terms of Gross Value Added. NISRA contribute data from the Annual ABI as part of the UK estimates. The survey processes in NI and Great Britain are similar but not exactly the same and further information on these differences can be found in the ONS ABS Technical Report at the below link.
Archive data for Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
