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(a)
(b)
coverage;
Beneficiaries and benefits;
(c) financing.
Statistics on coverage
(i)
Statistics of establishments
Social security records could provide from time to time data on the number and characteristics of establishments subject to social security legislation. Data on establishments are usually classified by branch of economic activity, geographical area, size of undertaking (measured by number of employees), etc. In periods between national censuses of establishments, such statistics might happen to be the only source of reliable information on undertakings. In particular, social security institutions could furnish periodic statistics of new establishments as well as establishments which have terminated activities according to branch of economic activity and geographical area.
the
It should however be noted that in some schemes the statistical unit may be enterprise (comprising a number of establishments). Secondly, the significance of the term "establishment" will vary from scheme to scheme depending upon the limitations of coverage characteristic of each scheme, i.e. exclusions from coverage of establishments below a certain minimum size, in certain economic activities or in certain geographic areas, etc.
(ii) Statistics on participants
Social security schemes can provide data on the number of protected persons. Here, a distinction should be made between participants protected in their own right (direct participants) and those whose entitlement to benefit depends exclusively on the right of direct participants (dependants).
Direct participants are usually analysed by various characteristics such as sex, age, group of economic activity, period of insurance (or employment), etc. The comparison of the data on participants with the total population, the economically- active population or other population aggregates can give useful indications as regards the extent of coverage of social security. On the other hand the data on participants can directly contribute to the Compilation of labour force and employment statistics, although their usefulness for this purpose is perhaps limited to countries with coverage by social security of a substantial part of the gainfully occupied. In the field of employment statistics, however, the limitations of coverage are perhaps not a serious handicap, because employment series relating to sectors of the economy, to individual industries, to wage earners and salaried employees, etc. may be highly significant. Social security data on participants can be used to supplement data collected by censuses, labour force sample surveys or establishment surveys, and in particular to provide estimates for periods intervening between censuses or surveys.
In interpreting the data on participants, it should however be noted that it is customary to use a series of terms which are, to some extent, analogous or similar, such as: "insured persons", "covered persons", "protected persons", "contributors", etc., the distinction between them not always being clear-cut.
The ter "covered person" generally means the person who is subject to a social security scheme, but it does not necessarily mean that he is entitled to benefit under the scheme if the contingency should materialise in so far as it is usual that entitlement depends on the accomplishment of certain qualifying conditions, or upon a means or needs test, etc. The term "protected person" generally refers to a person who has the right to benefit should the contingency materialise; this term includes dependants entitled to benefit by virtue of the rights of the breadwinner. The term "insured person" generally refers to the person who is formally entered in the registers or records as insured, but the meaning of this term varies between the different schemes; in particular, sometimes the number cf insured persons represents the aggregate number of registrations made since the start of the scheme, and would therefore include persons who are no longer actively
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