Notice to Users – Integration of the Annual Business Inquiry and Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey’
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 annual Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey (MSES) provides estimates of the sales and exports generated by all businesses within the manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland (classified as Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC07) divisions 10-33). The survey has been carried out since 1991/92. The Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre conducted the survey fieldwork each year prior to 2003 when it was passed to Economic and Labour Market Statistics Branch, DFP. It provides information on total sales, external sales and exports by SIC07 division and destination of goods.
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 Manufacturing, Sales and Exports Survey 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 Manufacturing, Sales and Exports Survey.
Adobe Acrobat MSES Quinquennial Review web version.(pdf 60kb)
Changes to the Standard Industrial Classification
Move from SIC 2003 to SIC 2007
As highlighted in the 2008/09 MSES bulletin, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in conjunction with various stakeholders has implemented major revisions to the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities (SIC).
The UK is required by European legislation to revise the SIC in parallel with NACE so that both systems remain identical down to and including the 4 digit class level. These revisions are motivated by the need to adapt the classifications to changes in the world economy. The revised classifications reflect the growing importance of service activities in the economy over the last fifteen years, mainly due to the developments in information and communication technologies (ICT).
More information on these revisions and correspondence between SIC 2007 and the previous SIC 2003 can be accessed via the following link:
As a result, the SIC 2003 categorisation of business activities has been replaced and updated by the new SIC 2007 activity codes within the MSES 2010/11. This has resulted in discontinuities between results presented on a SIC 2003 (2008/09 and earlier years) and SIC 2007 (2008/09 and subsequent years) basis.
Grossing factors for the MSES are calculated using the QES, and the extent of the changes in QES estimates for Manufacturing based on SIC 2003 and SIC 2007 can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.detini.gov.uk/notice_for_publication_of_sic2007_estimates.pdf
Caution should therefore be exercised when comparing results presented on a SIC 2003 and SIC 2007 basis.
The move from SIC 2003 to SIC 2007 has also resulted in the ONS discontinuing the SIC 2003 deflator price index PLLU (in favour of the 2007 JVZ7 index). Details of PPI implementation of SIC 2007 and the impact of this move can be accessed by e-mailing ppi@ons.gov.uk
This discontinuation means that constant prices for MSES results collected on a SIC 2003 basis will be deflated to base period (2008/09=100) from now on, while SIC 2007 results will be deflated to the current year (i.e. 2011/12=100 in this report). Section 7 of this bulletin quantifies the differences that occur when deflating the SIC 2003 results to base years 2008/09=100 and 2011/12=100.
Headline data from the most recent survey show that:
- Total sales by manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland (NI) were estimated to be worth £16.6 billion in 2011/12. This represents an increase of 6.5% over the year in current prices and an increase of 2.6% in real terms. This compared to a current price rise last year of 1.3%.
- Sales within Northern Ireland increased in current prices by £279 million to £3.7 billion – up 8.0% over the year but remaining below peak levels last reported in 2007/08.
- The value of sales outside Northern Ireland increased by £742 million to £12.9 billion in current prices, and accounted for over three quarters of total sales in 2011/12. This also represents a return to levels above the previously recorded peak in 2008/09 (£12.5 billion).
- Sales to Great Britain (GB) increased in current prices by £315 million to £7.6 billion – up 4.3% over the year. Whilst these are the highest level of sales to GB on record in current prices, they represent a fall of 0.9% in real terms.
- Exports increased by £427 million (8.9%) over the year, from £4.8 billion to £5.2 billion in current prices, a rise which was largely driven by an increase in sales to the Rest of the EU. After adjusting for price changes over the year, this represented an increase of 8.1% in real terms, and as such, represents the first real terms growth in exports since 2007/08 (7.5%).
- Exports to the EU (excluding the Republic of Ireland (ROI)) increased over the year by £189 million (15.8%) to £1.4 billion in current prices. In real terms this represented an increase of 14.9%. Exports to the rest of the world increased by £186 million (7.8%) to £2.6 billion in current prices.
- Exports to the Republic of Ireland increased by £52 million (4.3%) over the year, from £1.2 billion to £1.3 billion in current prices. This has halted the recent trend of annually falling sales to ROI from their peak of £1.6 billion in 2008/09. After adjusting for price changes over the year, the 2011/12 sales represented an increase of 3.5% in real terms
The data tables can be downloaded from the linkNorthern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports - SIC 2007 Data Tables.below. These tables contains information on:
- Share of Sales and Exports by Industrial Sector
- Annual Change by Industrial Sector
- Contribution to Sales by Size of Business
- Major Exports Markets
Additional information tables may be released via the website at a later date.
Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports - SIC 2007 Data Tables
| Table | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 1 | Broad Destination Sales from Northern Ireland Manufacturing businesses 2011/12 | 29 kb |
| Table 2 | Exports to markets within the European Union 2011/12 | 27 kb |
| Table 3 | Exports to markets outside the European Union 2011/12 | 26 kb |
| Table 4 | Share of Sales, External Sales and Exports by Industrial Sector 2011/12 | 30 kb |
| Table 5 | Total Sales, External Sales and Exports by Size of Business 2011/12 | 28 kb |
Footnotes:
1. Total sales = all sales regardless of destination.
2. External Sales = all sales outside Northern Ireland (including sales to Great Britain).
3. Exports = all sales outside the United Kingdom.
4. Current results are based on a SIC 2007. Previous results were based on SIC 2003 and are not directly comparable with SIC 2007 results.
Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey
| Published | Title | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| 18 December 2012 | Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey 2011/12 | 327 kb |
| 18 December 2012 | MSES Statistical Press Release 2011/12 | 21 kb |
| 29 February 2008 | NI MSES Supplement - Barriers to Trade | 1221KB |
| 26 February2007 | NI MSES Supplement - Barriers to Trade | 1227KB |
Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports - Quality and Revisions
| Table | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
| 7 December 2011 | MSES Quality Report | 36 kb |
| 7 December 2011 | MSES Revisions Policy | 13 kb |
Usage of MSES Data
The Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey 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.
Archive data for The Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
Archive data for The Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey
Further Information and related links:







