The Statistical Business Register
of Macao SAR
Government of Macao SAR
Statistics and Census Service
Purpose of Statistical Business Register
 Provides a comprehensive framework to
support data collection and processing
operations;
 Provides a good quality frame from which
samples can be selected and population
estimates can be produced.
Coverage of Statistical Business Register
Business entities: Enterprise and establishment are
two basic types of business entities;
Non-profit organizations: An individual data file
consists a full listing of non-profit organizations based
on the records from Identification Bureau;
Government agencies: Public Administration and
Civil Service Bureau is the main data source for
updating information on government agencies.
Methods of Registration
 All business entities in Macao SAR are required to
register at the Finance Services Bureau (DSF) prior
to their operations;
 The tax register of DSF is considered to be the most
comprehensive coverage of all economic activities
operating in Macao SAR and serves as the
foundation for Statistical Business Register;
 For statistical purposes, a quarterly field check is
essential to confirm the new records from DSF, e.g.
principal economic activities, employment size,
location of establishments, etc.
Classification Used
Classification of Economic Activities of Macao (CAM)
CAM is the standard industrial classification used in
Macao SAR, with reference to the International
Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic
Activities, 3rd Revision (ISIC, Rev.3).
All the business entities are classified with a five-digit
coding of CAM according to their economic activities.
Data Sources (Business sector)
Main Data Source:
Tax register from the Finance Services Bureau
Supplementary Data Sources (licensing agencies):
Macao Government Tourist Office - Hotels, restaurants,
bars, travel agencies, etc.
Macao Monetary Authority - Financial institutions
Macao Economic Services - Manufacturing units
Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau - Beauty salons,
cinemas, eating places, etc.
Maintenance of Statistical Business
Register
3 main processes for updating:
Insertion - Addition of new business units;
Alteration/Deletion - Updating the current status and
data of a business unit according to latest information
available, e.g. administrative records, field check or
feedback from surveys;
Correction - Rectifying errors occurred during the
insertion or alteration process, e.g. typing mistakes.
Updating Procedures
Interview / data collection
Feedback from Surveys
Mailing Lists
Selected Units
Distribution of
Information
STATISTICAL BUSINESS REGISTER
Maintenance
Data
Sources
Control of Access
Stratification
Variables
Updated
Information
Control of
Data Quality
Sampling
Statistical Tables
Users
Legal Issues
Statistical Law 62/96/M regulates:
 The legal obligation of individuals, businesses
and organizations to provide data to Statistics
and Census Service (DSEC);
 The legal obligation of DSEC to safeguard
the confidentiality of individual data collected.
Technical Issues
Automatic updating system:
The unique Identification number of each
business unit is the common key used for
automatic updating;
Data fields to be updated –
Identification variables (Name, address, etc.)
Stratification variables (Economic activity, size of
employment, sales turnover, etc.)
“Demographic” variables (Opening, closing)
Technical Issues
Geographic system
 A nine-digit “geocode” indicates the location
of a business unit at the building level;
 A list of different establishments registered
under the same “geocode” can be detected
for re-verification.
Costs of Statistical Business Register
Costs for maintenance of Statistical Business
Register
 Fieldwork confirmation;
 Investment of Information Technology to improve the
quality of the register system.
Plans to minimize the costs
 Application of CATI system to replace field checking;
 Introduction of postal code to replace “Geocode”.