Quality report: Statistics on Insurance for Work Abroad and Posted Workers
1. Contact
1.1 Contact organisation
The Finnish Centre for Pensions
1.2 Contact organisation units
International Services and Planning Department
1.3 Contact name
Hanna Hyttinen
Katariina Käkönen
1.4 Contact person function
Senior Policy Advisor
Statistical expert
1.5 Contact mail address
The Finnish Centre for Pensions
FI-00065 ELÄKETURVAKESKUS
Finland
1.6 Contact email address
firstname.lastname@etk.fi
Contact form (Insurance While Working Abroad)
Contact form (statistics)
1.7 Contact phone number
+358 29 411 20
1.8 Contact fax number
Fax: +358 9 148 1172
2. Metadata update
2.1. Metadata last certified
31 January 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
31 January 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
31 January 2025
3. Statistical presentation
3.1. Data description
The Statistics on insurance for work abroad and posted workers describes the number of workers and other personnel groups posted from Finland to EU and social security agreement countries. The data is based on solutions issued by the Finnish Centre for Pensions regarding the application of Finnish social security laws.
3.2. Classification system
3.3. Sector coverage
The data of the statistics is based on the total sample of the decisions issued and applications received by the Finnish Centre for Pensions in each given year. The data has been compiled based on implementation data used within the earnings-related pension system.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Concepts and definitions have been presented on the statistics page.
3.5. Statistical unit
3.6. Statistical population
3.7. Reference area
EU countries and countries with which Finland has a social security agreement.
Social security internationally (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health)
3.8. Time coverage
The statistics has been released as of the year 2019. The time series has been produced in retrospect as of the statistical year 2005.
The data in the statistics is final.
4. Unit of measure
5. Reference period
Calendar year
6. Institutional mandate
6.1. Legal acts and other agreements
6.2. Data sharing
7. Confidentiality
7.1. Confidentiality – policy
The Finnish Centre for Pensions is committed to data protection as a fundamental principle of statistics, which ensures the confidentiality of data.
7.2. Confidentiality – data treatment
Data is protected by the necessary physical and technical solutions at the various stages of processing. Personnel have access only to the data necessary for their work. Third parties do not have access to the premises where the data is processed. Employees are required to sign a confidentiality agreement when they are hired.
8. Release Policy
The statistics of the Finnish Centre for Pensions are released on weekdays at 9.00 a.m. on the website of the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Any exceptions to the release time are announced separately.
The data in the statistical database are released as open data. The database’s open interface can be freely used under the CC BY 4.0 licence, with the Finnich Centre for Pensions being cited as the source of the statistical data.
8.1. Release Calendar
The release dates of the statistics are published in the release calendar. The release calendar for the following year is published towards the end of the year.
8.2. Release calendar access
8.3. User access
The statistics are available to everyone when they are published on the website of the Finnish Centre for Pensions at a previously announced date.
Embargo policy: Media that are bound by the journalist’s guidelines may request material from the Finnish Centre for Pensions’ Communications Department.
9. Frequency of dissemination
The statistics are published once a year.
10. Accessibility and clarity
10.1. News release
The releases of the statistics can be found in the shared open repository Julkari:
Statistics on insurance for work abroad and posted workers
Press releases on this topic can be found online at the website of the statistics.
10.2. Publications
Key Figures: Insurance for work abroad and posted workers
10.3. Online database
Insurance for work abroad and posted workers (Px-Web)
10.4. Microdata access
The Finnish Centre for Pensions’ registry data can be requested for scientific research use.
Register data can be used for research purposes in accordance with the Publicity Act, Data Protection Act, and the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data (hereinafter Act on Secondary Use), even though individual-level data is confidential. The research must be individualized and scientific and based on a research plan. Register data are not disclosed for commercial purposes.
Apply for research access to register data of the Finnish Centre for Pensions
11. Quality Management
11.1. Quality assurance
The Finnish Centre for Pensions is committed to the quality principles of Official Statistics of Finland. Our statistical production follows the quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland, which are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
11.2. Quality assessment
The quality of statistics is assessed at several stages in the statistical process.
12. Relevance
12.1. User needs
The feedback received is monitored and taken into account in the development of the statistics.
13. Accuracy and reliability
13.1. Overall accuracy
The data of the statistics is based on the total sample of the decisions issued and applications received by the Finnish Centre for Pensions in each given year. The data has been compiled based on implementation data used within the earnings-related pension system.
13.2. Sampling error
–
13.3. Non-sampling error
The statistics does not include persons who
- work in EU or social security agreement countries in a local employment relationship, or
- work in other than EU or social security agreement countries.
The same person can be issued a certificate several times in one year, so no direct conclusions can be drawn on how many persons have gone abroad from Finland to EU and social security agreement countries per year. The Finnish Centre for Pensions does not monitor the actual movement between countries of persons who have received the certificate.
Based on the statistics, it is also impossible to determine whether the persons are (under labour law) posted workers or whether directives or other regulations on posted workers can be applied to them.
14. Timeliness and punctuality
14.1. Timeliness
14.2. Punctuality
15. Coherence and comparability
15.1. Comparability – geographical
–
15.2. Comparability – over time
The statistics has been released as of the year 2019. The time series has been produced in retrospect as of the statistical year 2005.
The comparability of the time series depends on, among other things, the following amendments:
- The register that the statistics are based on were changed in 2015.
- The number of EU and social security agreement countries has grown.
- The definitions of the personnel groups have changed due to changes to regulations.
- The awareness of the necessity of the certificates has grown. This, for one, has led to a growth in the number of applications for certificates.
15.3. Coherence – cross domain
The European Commission regularly publishes statistics on the labour force mobility within the EU and on granted A1 certificates. The statistics on the A1 certificates granted by Finland are based on the decisions issued by the Finnish Centre for Pensions. For the main part, they are identical with this statistics.
16. Cost and burden
The production of the statistics is financed annually by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
17. Data Revision
–
18. Statistical processing
18.1. Source data
18.2. Frequency of data collection
18.3. Data collection
Administrative registers.
18.4. Data validation
18.5. Data compilation
Adjustments are made at different stages of statistical production in accordance with the production processes of the Finnish Centre for Pensions. In addition, the results are compared with changes in legislation and with data from previous statistical years.
18.6. Adjustment
–
19. Comment
–