Changes to the time of statistical data release.

NDO - From August 2024, the General Statistics Office will change the time for publishing monthly socio-economic reports according to the new regulations in Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP. This change aims to better serve the management and administration of the Government and local authorities. Nhan Dan Newspaper interviewed Director General Nguyen Thi Huong on this issue.

In line with international practice

Reporter: Director General, could you please explain why the General Statistics Office proposed to the Government to change the timeframe for disseminating statistical information as stipulated in Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP ?

Director General Nguyen Thi Huong: There are several reasons why the General Statistics Office is proposing to the Government to change the timeframe for disseminating statistical information.

Firstly, in accordance with government requirements, statistical data must be consistent across agencies and localities and reflect the socio -economic situation for the entire month, quarter, and year of the report.

Secondly, stemming from the current state of statistical work, the process of collecting, compiling, and editing statistical information must be carried out early so that statistical agencies have enough time to compile, check, and verify information from the district and provincial levels to the central level, leading to some limitations and shortcomings.

These include: The collected information does not fully and accurately reflect the actual operations of the units according to the administrative month; it does not accurately reflect the terminology and figures within the month or quarter; and there is overlap in data from one month to the next, or from one quarter to the next…

The regulation requiring the publication of statistics on the 29th of each month leads to conflicts and easily causes misunderstandings for users of statistical information regarding some aggregate economic statistical indicators published by the General Statistics Office and those published by relevant ministries and sectors, due to differences in publication times and data periods.

For example, the Ministry of Finance sends estimated budget revenue and expenditure figures to the General Statistics Office for the purpose of compiling the gross domestic product (GDP) on the 15th of the last month of each quarter, while the Ministry of Finance's own reporting figures are calculated up to the 28th of each month.

The time allocated for checking, reviewing, calculating, compiling, and compiling aggregate indicators is short and tight, especially for aggregated administrative information and data from reports of ministries, departments, and provincial People's Committees; the time for collecting information in the field is short, and many surveys are conducted simultaneously, creating significant pressure on statistical agencies.

To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings and to ensure that the collection and compilation of statistical information accurately and completely reflects the true nature of a reporting period, especially a monthly reporting period, it is necessary to change the schedule for publishing and disseminating statistical information.

Reporter: Is the change in the timeframe for disseminating statistical information, as stipulated in the new regulations, consistent with international practices, Mr. Director General?

Director General Nguyen Thi Huong: To publish a statistical indicator, data must be collected from multiple sources: administrative data, statistical reports, statistical surveys, etc. These sources of information are all initially collected at the grassroots level and sent to the Provincial and City Statistics Departments under the Central Government.

At the local statistics office, this data is checked and compiled before being sent to specialized professional units under the General Statistics Office. Subsequently, the data also undergoes a process of compilation, verification, and analysis by statistical experts, progressing from the specialized departments to the general compilation department.

Each stage requires processing time, at least 1-2 days. This doesn't even include processing data extracted from administrative records or data from reporting systems of ministries, departments, corporations, and other large companies.

According to the previous statistical information dissemination schedule, the General Statistics Office had to publish socio-economic reports on the 29th of each month, meaning that the statistical data collected for processing was not the complete data for the month.

When Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP takes effect on August 1, 2024, statistical data will be published on the 6th of the month following the reporting month, a delay of 6-7 days compared to the current schedule. Vietnam will still be one of the countries that publishes data earliest in the world.

I can cite a few examples of countries with advanced economies, modern statistical information systems, strict legal frameworks, and citizens and organizations that strictly comply with statistical laws, yet their statistical information is published much later than ours.

For example, the release schedule for Q1 2023 GDP figures for Canada, France, and South Korea is after 2 months; for the US, Germany, and Singapore after more than 1.5 months; and for China, Japan, and Thailand after 1.5 months... Similarly, the release schedule for monthly Consumer Price Index figures for the US and France is after half a month; for Canada, Japan, and Malaysia after almost 1 month; and for Australia after 1 month...

Schedule for disseminating important statistical information according to Decree 62/2024/ND-CP dated June 7, 2024

- Official Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures: 6th day of the month following the reporting month.

- Estimated figures for the percentage of trained workers with degrees or certificates: By the 6th of the month following the reporting quarter.

- Preliminary data on the percentage of trained workers with degrees or certificates: By the 6th day of the first month of the second quarter following the reporting quarter.

- Estimated unemployment rate figures: 6th day of the month following the reporting quarter.

- Preliminary unemployment rate figures: 6th day of the first month of the second quarter following the reporting quarter.

- Socio-economic reports for the month, first quarter, second quarter and six months, third quarter and nine months, fourth quarter and the whole year: On the 6th of the month following the reporting period.

GDP data release schedule:

- Estimated figures for Q1; preliminary figures for Q4 of the year preceding the reporting year: April 6th of the reporting year.

- Estimated figures for Q2, 6 months, and the first full-year estimate; preliminary Q1 figures: July 6th of the reporting year.

- Estimated figures for Q3 and the first nine months; preliminary figures for Q2 and the first six months: October 6th of the reporting year.

- Preliminary full-year figures: October 6th of the year following the reporting year.

A more accurate reflection of the actual situation.

Reporter: What are the advantages of changing the publication and dissemination schedule for monthly, quarterly, and annual socio-economic reports, Director General?

Director General Nguyen Thi Huong: From a statistical perspective, regulating the time for publishing and disseminating the Socio-Economic Report has several advantages, such as ensuring that information and data collected from information providers fully reflect the production and business developments of a reporting period, contributing to increased accuracy of data, and more closely reflecting the actual situation.

Furthermore, the information sources used to compile several aggregate indicators such as GDP and Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) are more up-to-date and comprehensive; the Statistics sector has sufficient time to verify and synthesize data, and compile specialized reports, thus improving report quality; the aggregated data is more reliable and more accurately reflects the socio-economic developments nationwide.

Furthermore, the regulation stipulating that the socio-economic reports for the month, quarter (first quarter, second quarter, six months), quarter (third quarter, nine months), quarter (fourth quarter), and the entire year be published on the 6th of the month following the reporting period also serves as a basis for unifying information and data in the publication and dissemination of some aggregate economic indicators compiled and published by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and other ministries and agencies, especially those related to budget revenue and expenditure, import and export of goods, etc.

Reporter: So, what work is the General Statistics Office doing to implement Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP and put it into practice effectively?

Director General Nguyen Thi Huong: Changing the time for disseminating some important statistical information from the Central Statistics Agency not only impacts the Statistics sector but also relates to adjusting the timing of executive meetings of the Government, People's Committees, and People's Councils at all levels.

Specifically for the General Statistics Office, the timeframe for disseminating certain statistical information, as stipulated in Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP recently issued by the Government, impacts the entire information collection process, from data collection to processing, aggregation, and dissemination of statistical information. Therefore, the workload for the General Statistics Office is substantial.

Currently, the General Statistics Office is actively reviewing the content of the tasks to be performed and developing a specific plan to implement Decree No. 62/2024/ND-CP to carry out the newly adjusted statistical information dissemination schedule starting from August 2024.

Thank you very much, Director General!

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thay-doi-thoi-gian-cong-bo-so-lieu-thong-ke-post819967.html