Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Business Tendency Surveys (BTS) – also called business opinion or business climate surveys – are economic surveys used to monitor and forecast business cycles. Covering 4 different economic sectors (manufacturing, construction, retail trade and services), they are designed to collect qualitative information useful in monitoring the current business situation and forecasting short-term developments by directly asking company managers about the pulse of their businesses. They are well known for providing advance warning of turning points in aggregate economic activity as measured by GDP or industrial production. As respondents provide answers on a 3 scale options (up, same, down, or above normal, normal, below normal), data are summarised in net balances corresponsing to the difference in % of positive over negative replies. Because of their collection mode, timeliness and immediate availability, they have proved to be a cost‑effective mean of generating timely information especially during crises. In the late '90, in collaboration with the European Commission, the OECD has developed a system of harmonised business tendency surveys in order to collect and compare data across countries. The EC Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs is since then in charge of running the program and collecting data across EU members, while the OECD helped the adoption and implementation of the same harmonised framework in non-EU OECD countries and BRIICS. By construction, BTS questions are formulated in order to exclude seasonal factors. Nevertheless all series are tested for seasonality by both the OECD (using x12) and by the EC for the EU member data (using DAINTIES). This dataset comprises a set of harmonised target indicators available across OECD and BRIICS countries, any departure from target definitions are documented in the metadata.

The Hourly Earnings dataset contains predominantly monthly statistics, and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected non-member economies. The Hourly Earnings dataset provides monthly and quarterly data on employees' earnings series. It includes earnings series in manufacturing and for the private economic sector. Mostly the sources of the data are business surveys covering different economic sectors, but in some cases administrative data are also used. The target series for hourly earnings correspond to seasonally adjusted average total earnings paid per employed person per hour, including overtime pay and regularly recurring cash supplements. Where hourly earnings series are not available, a series could refer to weekly or monthly earnings. In this case, a series for full-time or full-time equivalent employees is preferred to an all employees series.

Main Economic Indicators (MEI) provides a wide range of indicators on recent economic developments in the 35 OECD member countries and 15 non-member countries. The indicators published in MEI have been prepared by national statistical agencies primarily to meet the requirements of users within their own country. In most instances, the indicators are compiled in accordance with international statistical guidelines and recommendations. However, national practices may depart from these guidelines, and these departures may impact on comparability between countries.