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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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Q1 Why is there a need to conduct business survey?
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The objective of the survey is to obtain the latest information on the structure and performance of all industries that make up Singapore’s economy. The data are used for industry analysis, and for the compilation of national accounts, input-output tables and balance of payments. The aggregated statistics are released in our publications and website and are used extensively by policy makers, economic planners and the business community.
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Q2 How are the firms selected?
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The sampling method for our business surveys is based on stratified random sampling. This means that large firms (in terms of turnover) are covered with certainty within each industry while the relatively smaller firms are selected randomly based on the required precision expected from the sample.
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Q3 My business is small with low turnover. Should I be covered in the survey?
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Data of small, medium and large firms are equally important to us to ensure that the industry data compiled are representative across the industry or sector. Please do not hesitate to contact the officer-in-charge (as printed on the survey form) if you need any assistance in the form filling.
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Q4 How did you get my company's name and address?
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| Your company’s name and address are obtained from our Department’s establishment database. Information in the database is regularly updated through simple postal surveys of newly registered companies and through extracting information from administrative and other sources such as the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), newspaper advertisements and Registry of Societies. |
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Q5 Is it compulsory to submit the survey return? Can I be exempted?
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The survey is conducted under the Statistics Act (Chapter 317). Firms covered are required to comply with the statistical requisition stipulated in Section 5 of the Act.
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Q6 How do you ensure that the information submitted by me is kept confidential?
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| Under the provisions of the Statistics Act, the contents of individual returns received would be treated with the strictest confidence and used for statistical purposes only. Only aggregated data at broad industry level (such that no individual data could be identified) would be published. Furthermore, it is an offence under the Statistics Act for our Department’s staff to disclose individual firm’s information obtained under the provisions of the Act. |
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Q7 Can I request for an extension of time in the submission of my survey return?
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You may write in to the officer-in-charge if you require more time to complete the survey form. Requests for extension of time shall be granted on a case-by-case basis.
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Q8 My firm was not in operation during the reference period of the survey. Do I need to submit the survey form?
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| If your firm was not in operation during the survey reference period, please indicate as ‘NIL' in our survey form and return it to us in the pre-addressed envelope. Alternatively, you could inform the officer-in-charge in writing and state the effective date the firm had ceased business operations (if applicable). |
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Q9 Can I provide preliminary figures if my audited accounts are not ready yet?
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Yes, we would accept preliminary figures or your best estimates if the audited accounts for the reference period are not ready by the survey due date.
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Q10 I have misplaced my survey form. How can I get another copy?
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| You may download the survey form (pdf file) from our website via “Survey Forms Download” or contact the officer-in-charge to request for a copy. |
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Q11 We are already short-handed. Can you reduce the reporting burden on companies and businesses?
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We would like to assure you that the surveys we conduct are essential and surveyed companies and businesses are kept to the minimum. Where possible, we make use of alternative sources of data (e.g. administrative records) to minimise the reporting burden of our respondents. We would be most willing to provide assistance in the form filling and/or grant further extension of time for the submission.
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Q12 Can you compensate me for filling in your survey form?
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| The Statistics Act does not have provisions for payment to our survey respondents. This is also the international norm. We, therefore, do not pay our respondents for completing the survey form. |
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Last updated: 30 Jun 2007
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