NSO
Website
How is the NSO website organised?
Statistics on the NSO website are organised into 7 themes
which are further split up into specific statistical activities. Therefore,
sections such as ‘News releases’, ‘Publications’, ‘Sources and Methods’ and
‘Visualisations’ are mainly arranged according to the theme of the statistical
information being produced. An alternative access for published output is by
chronological order.
Where can I access time series data?
Time series data are available either from the NSO online database,
StatDB, or through the ‘Selected Indicators’. A link to StatDB can be found at
the bottom of the homepage or under the ‘Statistical Products’ tab whereas a
box for ‘Selected Indicators’ can be found in the middle of the homepage.
Does the NSO website cater for data visualisation facilities?
Yes. The following are the visualisation facilities available on the
website and can be easily accessed through the ‘Visualisation’ box at the
bottom of the homepage:
- STATAMAP
presents statistics in graphic formats (maps) and enables visual data to be
customised to individual needs. STATAMAP is also located in ‘Statistical
Products’.
- Infographics offer
a visual representation of statistics and are available on the website by theme.
Legal Obligations
What are my legal obligations when I am asked for
personal information by the NSO?
The
NSO is empowered by the Malta Statistics Authority Act – Chapter 422 of the
laws of Malta, to collect data for official statistics. As a result, selected
individuals, households and entities have a legal obligation to respond and
provide the information requested by the NSO. This creates a legal obligation
and therefore is covered by article 6 of the General Data Protection
Regulations.
Additionally,
the GDPR allows exceptions to the rights of the data subject to object, be
forgotten, access to the data subject, rectification and erasure, and
restriction of processing, in the case of data collected for statistical
purposes. This allows NSO to collect data and process it with the purpose of
fulfilling its obligation in producing statistics.
Is my data kept confidential?
NSO
is obliged to ensure that all its processes, including data collection, respect
the confidentiality of the individual, household and/or entity and all data
published cannot divulge the identity directly or indirectly unless prior
consent is obtained from the individual, household and/or entity. Data is handled on a need to know basis even
within the Office and access is given to the persons working on datasets only.
All
officers of statistics working at NSO undertake the oath of secrecy as
prescribed by the MSA Act. The oath
places added legal responsibility on the officers of statistics to make
appropriate use of the data being handled.
How can I be sure that the person on the phone is
actually an NSO representative?
It
is NSO’s policy that prior to making contact, with sampled individuals and
households, a survey notification letter is sent with essential information on
the ongoing survey and data collection process.
In
the case of Face-to-Face surveys, our interviewers will be calling you
beforehand in order to set up a mutually convenient appointment during which to
conduct the survey. In most cases, Face-to-Face interviews will be conducted at
your residence or other mutually convenient place that is safe and suited for
data collection (e.g. the NSO Office or your workplace).
All
our interviewers are provided with an official interviewer NSO identification
tag, which is to be presented prior to conducting Face-to-Face interviews.
During
the COVID-19 outbreak, surveys are being conducted by telephone. Prior to such
surveys the interviewer will inform you that the call is being made by the NSO
and provide salient information on the survey. Should you be concerned about
the source of the call, you may contact the Office on 2599 7370 in order to
confirm the legitimacy of the call.
NSO Surveys
What is INTRASTAT?
INTRASTAT is a system which captures and records information on trade
among EU countries. The INTRASTAT system administered by NSO provides a
platform for all traders in Malta to declare their imported and exported goods
from/to EU Member States. This system is also shared with other various
National entities (such as the VAT Department) in order to provide one holistic
service to traders when it comes to submitting trade information and necessary
approvals.
What is the Labour Force Survey?
The Labour Force
Survey (LFS) is an inquiry held among households with the purpose of obtaining
information on the labour market and related issues. The method involves a
series of personal interviews. In Malta, the LFS is carried out on a continuous
basis using a quarterly sample of 3,200 households. The LFS covers all persons
who live in private households and excludes those in collective households such
as residential homes and hospitals. The definitions and methodology used to
carry out the LFS are common to all EU Member States.
What is SILC?
Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC)
is an annual inquiry carried out among persons who live in private households.
SILC is the reference source for comparative statistics on income distribution,
relative poverty and social exclusion among EU Member States. On the basis of
SILC, reliable quantitative information on relative poverty, social exclusion,
material deprivation and dwellings conditions is produced.
The inquiry at European Union level is known as
EU-SILC. It was formally launched in 2004 and expanded in 2005 to cover all the
EU25 Member States, together with Norway and Iceland. Malta was one of the
countries that launched SILC in 2005.
What is TOURSTAT?
TOURSTAT is a continuous survey which collects
information on tourist departures. With regard to air departures,
the survey is carried out at the departure lounge of the Malta International
Airport by means of a series of personal interviews. Information on sea
departures is collected at the Valletta Cruise Port, also through personal
interviews. Both branches of the TOURSTAT survey are supplemented by
administrative records.
- Inbound tourism refers to visits to a country by visitors who are not
residents of that country.
- Outbound tourism refers to visits by residents of a country to other
countries.