Research project AG/GG/095 (Research action AG)
The labour market datawarehouse - an AGORA project within the 1998 programme - includes a joint venture between the “Crossroads Bank for Social Security” (KSZ-BCSS), the National Employment Office (RVA-ONE), the National Office of Sickness and Invalidity Insurance (RIZIV-INAMI), the National Office for Social Security (RSZ-ONSS), the National Office of Social Security for Provincial and Regional Authorities (RSZPPO-ONSSAPL), the National Institute of Social Insurance for Self-Employed Workers (RSVZ-INASTI) and the National Employees’ Family Allowances Office (RKW-ONAFTS).
This project aims to develop gradually a datawarehouse, whereby data will be derived at regular intervals from the operational information systems of the participating institutions. This will enable the flexible, fast and low-cost examination of requests for statistical information from researchers and policy-support bodies.
The data warehouse was completed in late December 2000. During its development, 3 actors played an active role:
1) The WAV (Flemish, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and TEF (Walloon, Université libre de Bruxelles) policy research centres, as the scientific teams for this project, developed the data model and lists of variables.
2) An accompanying committee, comprising representatives from social security institutions, was responsible for the project’s policy aspects.
3) SmalS-MvM, the company entrusted with developing dataprocessing applications for Belgium’s social security institutions, took charge of the IT aspects of the data warehouse’s development.
KSZ-BCSS took charge of the project’s overall coordination.
The labour market data warehouse has been operational since the beginning of 2001.
In order to ensure the data warehouse’s correct operation, two committees were set up: the “management group” and the “user group”. The management group takes decisions regarding managerial and IT aspects and the dissemination of results from the data warehouse. The members of the group – who are nominated by KSZ-BCSS – are representatives from public social security institutions. The user group discusses scientific aspects of the data warehouse and develops ideas in connection with new basic applications and data warehouse content. The user group’s members – who are nominated by the WAV and TEF policy research centres – are from the public social security institutions, NIS-INS, the WAV and TEF policy research centres along with representatives from the scientific community and government bodies. The chair of the user group also serves as an interim member of the management group.
The data warehouse’s aim is to be able to respond better and more cost-effectively to data requests from research bodies and the government. In the process, a distinction is drawn between two sorts of application:
1) basic applications: these are applications whereby a number of fixed statistics are calculated in accordance with a specified frequency (quarterly, half-yearly, annually, etc.).
2) Ad hoc applications : these are applications specifically requested by researchers.
Assorted basic applications of the data warehouse are currently operational and undergoing tests by the user group relating to their user possibilities and complementarity with other sources.
Information regarding these basic applications and how the user group operates can be found in articles contained in “Over.werk.”, a quarterly newsletter from the WAV policy research centre.
In addition, more than 15 ad hoc applications have been developed.
In order to maintain the data warehouse’s high performance, more up-to-date data from the institutions needs to be uploaded regularly.
By the end of 2002, all data up until 2000 were due to have been uploaded. In future years, new data relating to 2001 and 2002 will be systematically uploaded. For 2003, however, a major departure is due to occur in relation to the data from previous years with the coming on stream of E-government in the social security sphere as from 1 January 2003.
The project relating to E-government within social security makes provision for the gradual introduction of electronic data exchanges between employers and the social security institutions. The aims of this project are to rationalise information requests (in theory, gathered by employers in a single go), produce uniform guidelines and simplify, or do away with, a set of forms.
At the present time, E-government (electronic government) within social security comprises three broad sections:
1. Generalised adoption of electronic declaration of employment (DIMONA),
The aim of the DIMONA declaration is to report the start and end of a working relationship immediately to the public authorities, who need to have such data at their disposal. In view of the fact that the DIMONA declaration determines the working relationship between an employer and employee, specific employer obligations as regards social documents are being simplified or abolished (for instance, abolition of the staff register).
2. Generalised adoption of an electronic, multifunctional declaration to the RSZ-ONSS : National Office for Social Security for workers)
The new quarterly declaration entails a simple, multifunctional compilation of wage and working-time data for which the employer is the authentic source.
In other words, the multifunctional declaration will entail the simple declaration by the employer of wage and working-time data for employees for the following purposes:
- Calculation and collection of social security contributions from the working income of employees, including reductions in contributions.
- Calculation of all social security benefits associated with wages and working time.
- Compilation of statistics regarding employment and pay that are relevant to conducting the policy.
The upshot of this new working method is that the employer no longer has to detail data, for which he is the authentic source, on the declaration (e.g. information relating to the periods during which an employee is entitled to a social security benefit). The institutions requiring these items of information may request them immediately from the institution providing the authentic source (via streaming) through a network controlled by the Crossroads Bank for Social Security.
Given the possibility of having a multifunctional quarterly declaration, it has been necessary to harmonise the terms used within social security with one another.
3. Simplification and computerisation of the declaration of social risks.
Whenever a social risk occurs that results in benefits being due pursuant to compulsory insurance for healthcare and benefits or maternity insurance, benefits in respect of an accident at work or an occupational illness or unemployment benefit payments, guaranteed income payments or wage subsidies, the employer, party with social insurance or agent must declare this to the competent social security institution.
During an initial phase, the declaration of social risk may be furnished either electronically or on paper.
Further details are available on the portal site: www.socialsecurity.be.
Since E-government within social security will trigger major changes to the content of the databanks maintained by the social security institutions, it will therefore also impact on the labour market data warehouse. In order to safeguard the data warehouse’s continuity, its adaptation to the E-government project will be a requirement.
The implementation of the E-government project within the data warehouse will ensure that specific variables will need to be interpreted differently: for some variables, greater accuracy will be achievable (e.g. data concerning the start and end of contracts of employment); conversely, new variables or dimensions could be added to the data warehouse (e.g. data relating to the joint committee), thereby broadening potential uses.
Project description:
In response to the introduction of E-government within social security, the existing data warehouse configuration will therefore have to be adapted.
This Agora proposal eyes preparations for this adaptation as well as its actual implementation under the supervision of the data warehouse management group and in consultation with the user group.
