Archive:Other professional, scientific and technical activities statistics - NACE Rev. 2
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This article presents an overview of statistics for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in the European Union (EU), as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 74. It belongs to a set of statistical articles on 'Business economy by sector'.
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(% share of sectoral total) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
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(% share of sectoral total) - Source: Eurostat (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
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Main statistical findings
Structural profile
There were 621.9 thousand enterprises classified to the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector (Division 74) in the EU-28 in 2012. These enterprises employed 1.1 million persons, approximately 0.8 % of the total number of persons employed in the non-financial business economy (Sections B to J and L to N and Division 95) and 9.3 % of the workforce for professional, scientific and technical activities (Section M). They generated EUR 39.0 billion of value added which was approximately 0.6 % of the non-financial business economy total and 6.5 % of the professional, scientific and technical activities total.
The apparent labour productivity of the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in 2012 was EUR 36.0 thousand per person employed, below the non-financial business economy average of EUR 46.2 thousand per person employed and the professional, scientific and technical activities average of EUR 52.0 thousand per person employed. Average personnel costs within the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector were EUR 31.0 thousand per employee, which was EUR 1.4 thousand lower than the non-financial business economy average and EUR 13.3 thousand below the average for professional, scientific and technical activities. The impact of relatively low apparent labour productivity was to pull down the wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio for the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities. In 2012, this ratio stood at 116.0 %, which was far below the non-financial business economy average (142.7 %) and also slightly lower than the average for all professional, scientific and technical activities (118.0 %).
The gross operating rate for the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in 2012 showed that this sector’s gross operating surplus was 23.6 % of turnover. This level of operating profitability (using this measure) was two and a half times as high as the non-financial business economy average (9.4 %) and was also higher than the average for all professional, scientific and technical activities (18.3 %).
Sectoral analysis
There are four different subsectors within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector according to NACE. More than four out of ten enterprises within the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in 2012 were classified to the miscellaneous subsector of other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified (Group 74.9). This subsector includes, for example, business and patent brokerages, bill auditing and freight rate information, weather forecasting and environmental consulting. The other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified subsector contributed 59.0 % of sectoral value added and employed more than half (53.9 %) of the sectoral workforce and had the highest apparent labour productivity (EUR 40.0 thousand per person employed) and the highest average personnel costs (EUR 31.7 thousand per employee). Dividing apparent labour productivity by average personnel costs, the resultant wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio was 126.0 % for the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified subsector that was somewhat higher than the sectoral average (116.0 %) and also than the average for all professional, scientific and technical activities (118.0 %). This subsector’s gross operating rate (21.6 %) was just below the sectoral average (23.6 %), but above the average for all professional, scientific and technical activities (18.3 %).
The three remaining subsectors within the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector followed a similar rank from largest to smallest regardless of which measure was used to determine their relative size (numbers of enterprises, employment or value added): the largest subsector was specialised design activities (Group 74.1), followed by photographic activities (Group 74.2), while the smallest subsector was translation and interpretation activities (Group 74.3).
The highest apparent labour productivity within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector (EUR 41.0 thousand per employee) was recorded for specialised design activities, though note that no recent information on apparent labour productivity and wage-adjusted labour productivity is available for photographic activities and translation and interpretation activities subsectors. The photographic activities subsector was the only one within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector having average personnel costs (EUR 23.8 thousand per employee) significantly lower than the sectoral average (EUR 31.0 thousand per employee). All four subsectors recorded relatively high gross operating rates, peaking at 30.0 % for translation and interpretation activities, which ranked twelfth in terms of a ranking across all non-financial business economy NACE groups in 2012.
Country analysis
Just over one quarter (26.1 %) of the value added generated in the EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in 2012 was accounted for by the United Kingdom. At a more detailed level, the United Kingdom recorded the highest share of EU-28 value added for three out of the four subsectors that compose the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector. The United Kingdom’s share of EU-28 value added stood at 24.3 % for photographic activities, a share that rose to 26.3 % for the miscellaneous subsector of other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified, and 32.0 % for specialised design activities. Germany had the highest value added in the remaining subsector of translation and interpretation activities (although the share is not available).
In relative terms, Greece was the most specialised EU Member State within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector, as 1.2 % of Greek non-financial business economy value added came from other professional, scientific and technical activities in 2012, just ahead of Italy and the United Kingdom (both recorded a 1.0 % share). The least specialised EU Member States in 2012 were Croatia and Romania, where the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector contributed 0.2 % of non-financial business economy value added. The non-member countries analysed in Table 4a were also relatively unspecialised within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector, as this activity failed to account for more than 0.3 % of non-financial business economy value added in both Norway and Switzerland.
Wage-adjusted labour productivity ratios for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector failed to reach 100 % in 11 of the EU Member States, a frequency that was only surpassed by one other NACE division within the non-financial business economy (the repair of computers and personal and household goods). Wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio of less than parity was also reported in Norway; data for Switzerland are not available. The general pattern of relatively low wage-adjusted labour productivity ratios for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector was confirmed as this ratio was lower than for the non-financial business economy average for each of the Member States for which data are available for 2012, except for Greece and the United Kingdom.
The relatively high gross operating rate observed for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in the EU-28 in 2012 was observed in each of the EU Member States, as gross operating rates for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector were consistently higher than the average rates for the non-financial business economy. The only exception to this pattern was Ireland, which recorded the lowest gross operating rate among all EU Member States (7.1 %). On the other hand, Greece (34.1 %), the United Kingdom (31.2 %), Italy (30.3 %), Germany (27.3 %) and Spain (26.1 %) each recorded very high profitability in 2012 (using this measure).
Size class analysis
The EU-28’s other professional, scientific and technical activities sector was dominated by micro enterprises. In 2012, these enterprises (employing fewer than 10 persons) accounted for 69.3 % of the workforce and for 58.9 % of the value added generated by the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector. While micro enterprises accounted for the majority of the activity within this sector, they reported the lowest apparent labour productivity (EUR 31.0 thousand per person employed) among the size classes for which data are available. Indeed, the apparent labour productivity of medium-sized enterprises (employing 50 to 249 persons) and large enterprises (employing 250 or more persons) was more than 1.5 times higher than that recorded for micro enterprises.
The relative importance of micro enterprises was observed in each of the EU Member States for which data are available, as Denmark was the only country where micro enterprises did not account for an absolute majority of the workforce within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector. Nevertheless, the share of micro enterprises in Denmark stood at 47.8 % which was the highest share among any of the size classes. By contrast, micro enterprises accounted for 87.6 % of the Cypriot workforce within the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector. Spain and Germany were the only EU Member States (for which data are available) to report that large enterprises accounted for a double-digit share of their other professional, scientific and technical activities workforces.
Data sources and availability
The analysis presented in this article is based on the main dataset for structural business statistics (SBS) and size class data, all of which are published annually.
The main series provides information for each EU Member State as well as a number of non-member countries at a detailed level according to the activity classification NACE. Data are available for a wide range of variables.
In structural business statistics, size classes are generally defined by the number of persons employed. A limited set of the standard structural business statistics variables (for example, the number of enterprises, turnover, persons employed and value added) are analysed by size class, mostly down to the three-digit (group) level of NACE. The main size classes used in this article for presenting the results are:
- small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): with 1 to 249 persons employed, further divided into;
- micro enterprises: with less than 10 persons employed;
- small enterprises: with 10 to 49 persons employed;
- medium-sized enterprises: with 50 to 249 persons employed;
- large enterprises: with 250 or more persons employed.
Context
This article presents an overview of statistics for the other professional, scientific and technical activities sector in the EU, as covered by NACE Rev. 2 Division 74. This division includes the provision of professional scientific and technical services not elsewhere classified, therefore not in Divisions 69 to 73.
Specialised design activities include fashion design (for example, related to textiles, jewellery, furniture, personal or household goods), industrial design, graphic design and interior decoration.
Photographic activities include commercial and consumer photograph production, for example, for passports, schools, weddings, publishers, fashion, real estate and tourism. Also included is aerial photography, videotaping of events, film processing and the activities of photojournalists.
Other professional, scientific and technical activities not elsewhere classified include a great variety of service activities generally delivered to commercial clients. This includes those activities for which more advanced professional, scientific and technical skill levels are required, but does not include ongoing, routine business functions that are generally of short duration — these are generally classified to Divisions 77 to 82.
This NACE division is composed of four groups:
- specialised design activities (Group 74.1);
- photographic activities (Group 74.2);
- translation and interpretation activities (Group 74.3);
- other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c. (Group 74.9).
The information presented in this article does not cover architectural and engineering design (part of architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis, Division 71). The coverage of this article also excludes processing motion picture film related to motion picture and television (part of motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities, Division 59) and the operation of coin operated (self-service) photo machines (classified as part of other personal service activities, Division 96).
See also
- Other analyses of the business economy by NACE Rev. 2 sector
- Professional, scientific and technical activities
- Structural business statistics introduced
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- European business - facts and figures (online publication)
Main tables
Database
- SBS – services (sbs_serv)
- Annual detailed enterprise statistics - services (sbs_na_serv)
- Annual detailed enterprise statistics for services (NACE Rev. 2 H-N and S95) (sbs_na_1a_se_r2)
- SMEs - Annual enterprise statistics by size class - services (sbs_sc_sc)
- Services by employment size class (NACE Rev. 2 H-N and S95) (sbs_sc_1b_se_r2)
- Annual detailed enterprise statistics - services (sbs_na_serv)
- SBS - regional data - all activities (sbs_r)
- SBS data by NUTS 2 regions and NACE Rev. 2 (from 2008 onwards) (sbs_r_nuts06_r2)
Dedicated section
Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)
Other information
- Decision 1578/2007/EC of 11 December 2007 on the Community Statistical Programme 2008 to 2012
- Regulation (EC) No 295/2008 of 11 March 2008 concerning structural business statistics