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28 May 2002

ISIC 4 questionnaire - Summary of responses B4

For each of these issues, please provide your views concerning the importance and relevance of the issue. Please add any other structural and conceptual issues you would like to see addressed in the revision. B. Cross-cutting issues Cross-cutting issues are issues that affect many parts of the classification. They concern economic activities that are spread throughout the economy. 4. How should support activities be treated? In ISIC Rev.3 there are some industries that include service activities specific to them, while in other cases service activities are separately accounted for. Should there be a more consistent treatment of service activities as a separate category, closer aligned with the industries they support or should the treatment be depending on the type of industry and service?

From the 38 countries that had sent in answers on the questionnaire before Janu-ary 25, 31 answered question B4 (82%). General conclusion is that most countries 9 + 1 (32%) want support activities closely aligned to industries. 5 countries (16 %) wanted support activities inde-pendently or not closely aligned to industry. Other countries varied in their answers: · One made a split between: · Support activities being part of the productive process of the activity they serve: together with industries · Not (necessarily) specific to the activity they serve or even related to some activity: not together with industries · Another a split based on the "distance" between support and client · When quite exclusive to an unique sector, such as mining, transport: together with industries · When given to any sector: not together with industry · Another: a split based on being close / inseparable to industries · Close/inseparable: together with industries · In case they serve two or more divisions: not close to industries, but in services · Another country proposed an "either,.. or" solution: Either include a category at second level in each category, Or relocate in services sector independent of activity they serve. · One country suggestd to keep ISIC as it is now · Another country supposed that being part of the production process should be a criterion: If so include If not (transport, storage, security and cleaning) not together with industry · One country proposed that NAICS should lead the way · One country answered that is should be useful to have separate groupings for support services in agriculture, mining and transportation, because they are closely linked to specific sector · Finally one country remarked that treatment should reflect economic reality. Overall conclusion: Although a majority seems to be in favor for support activities being closely aligned to industry, a larger number (14) is or not in favor or is more relative in their choice (45%). A couple of countries made other remarks that were not quite relevant.