Census Bureau Consolidates Business Surveys

In the US, the Census Bureau has embarked on a final test of the AIES (Annual Integrated Economic Survey), which will consolidate seven of its annual business surveys into a single measure. On full launch next year the surveys will sample around 385,000 small, medium and large companies.

The current test, known as the 2022 AIES because it will compile data for last year, will include just 8,300 companies and will be used to examine patterns of response to determine what additional support will be needed for future data collection.

The full AIES, to be launched in March next year, will provide key annual measures of economic activity, including the only comprehensive national and subnational data on business revenues, employment, expenses and assets on an annual basis. It replaces the following surveys:

• Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS)
• Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS)
• Service Annual Survey (SAS)
• Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM)
• Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES)
• Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey (M3UFO)
• Report of Organization (COS).

The Bureau says these surveys have provided 'a bridge between the comprehensive coverage provided by the 5-year economic census and its monthly indicator surveys; and help it to maintain its Business Register framework of US companies, their locations and basic characteristics, which supports all its statistical programs focused on businesses.

No statistics from the test survey will be released, but the Bureau says the change to AIES will substantially reduce the reporting burden on businesses, improve efficiency and speed up reporting.

Web site: www.census.gov .