Data Warehouse Labour Market and Social Protection

Description of the data warehouse

Introduction

The AGORA programme of the Federal Public Planning Service Science Policy has a dual purpose: first, to facilitate access to federal administrative databases on the one hand, and second, to provide scientific support for management of these databases, on request of the services and organisations involved. The data warehouse labour market and social protection, a project within the AGORA programme, is a collaboration between CIMIRe (Multisectoral Individual Account), the FAO (Fund for Employment Accidents), FBZ (Fund for Occupational Diseases), the KSZ (Crossroads Bank for Social Security), the NIC (National Intermutual College), The PPS Social Integration, the PDOS (Pension Service Government Sector), the RIZIV (National Institute for Sickness and Disability insurance), the RKW (National Office for Family Allowances for Employees), the RSVZ (National Institute for Social Security of the Self-Employed), the RSZ (National Office for Social Security), the RSZPPO (National Social Security Office for the Local and Provincial Administrations), the RVA (National Employment Office), the RVP (National Office for Pensions) and the VDAB/FOREM/Actiris/ADG (Flemish Employment and Vocational Training Agency/Walloon VDAB/Actiris/Arbeitsamt der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft). It aims to connect the socio-economic data from these social security organisations. It can also be used to create statistics that can’t be calculated by one single social security organisation. The data warehouse is located in the Smals offices. The Support Centre for Work and Social Economics (Steunpeunt WSE), an inter-university cooperation located at the KU Leuven, the Centre de Sociologie du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation (point d'appui TEF) of the ULB and the Centre for Sociological Research (CESO) of the KU Leuven provide scientific support. Management of the data warehouse has been entrusted to the Crossroads Bank of Social Security.

Necessity of a data warehouse

Originally the operational systems of the organisations for social security were not developed to execute statistical operations. Since the set up of statistics requires processing large quantities of data and since statistical analysis is a trial and error procedure, tasks of this kind can be a huge burden on the mainframes. This problem can be solved by using a data warehouse. Data warehousing technology entails downloading data from an operational database to a separate computer which is equipped with the necessary software and which can flexibly process that data into statistically useful information that meets the needs of the users.

Purpose of the data warehouse labour market and social protection

The data warehouse labour market and social protection aims at a better, faster and cheaper response to the requests for data from research organisations and the government. Three types of applications can be distinguished:

• The basic applications: these applications calculate a number of fixed statistics according to a certain frequency (per trimester, per semester, annually, etc.). The organisations for social security whose data are required to set up the statistics must, before the first calculation, provide a one-off overall permission; the Sectoral Committee of Social Security will be asked for a general advice in advance.
• The ad hoc applications: these are specific applications at the request of research organisations. The organisations for social security whose data are required for development of the ad hoc application will have to grant permission for each request in advance. Depending on the nature of the data that will be provided to the asker, anonymous data or encoded social data of a personal nature will require an advice or a proxy, respectively, from the Sectoral Committee for Social Security and Health. This doesn’t change the actual procedure for this type of data requests – cf. § 4 of the document “Reporting anonymous data, encoded social data of a personal nature and/or non-encoded social data of a personal nature for scientific purposes”.
• The web application: this application allows consultation of the statistics through the web. Several report facilities have been provided as well. As is the case with basic applications, the organisations for social security whose data are required for the set up of these statistics must grant their overall permission for the first calculation.

More information about the data warehouse labour market and social protection

More information about the data warehouse labour market and social protection can be obtained from Mr. Chris Brijs at the Department for Innovation and Policy Support of the Crossroads Bank at the following address: chris.brijs@ksz-bcss.fgov.be.